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809  Memoirs  of  J.  H.  TookeT^^ith   proofs  identifying  him  as 
the  author  of  Jujoius.     8vo,  bds,  port.  N.   Y.  1828 


bid^UfiY  MQriSE  STEPHENS 


TO  THE 


HONORABLE 

AMBROSE   SPENCER, 


LATE 


CHIEF  JUSTICE 


OF    THE 


STATE  OF  NEW-YORK. 

My  dear  Sir, 

To  jou,  whose  friendship  has  been 
the  pride  of  mj  life — whom  neither  ab- 
sence, distance,  nor  the  revolution  of  Jlfty 
years,  has  estranged  from  me — to  jou, 
whom  prosperity  never  exalted,  and  who 
never  withheld   the   consideration   which 


S^0SG45 


IV 


true  friendship  pays  to  friendship,  in  every 
>         situation  of  life — to  jou, 

I  DEDICATE  THIS  ESSAY. 

Do  me  the  honor  of  giving  it  a  place  in 
some  corner  of  jonr  library,  that  when  I 
shall  have  "  shuffled  off  this  mortal  coil," 
this  volume  maj  sometimes  catch  your' 
feje,  and  bring  to  jour  recollection,  the 
friend,  who  deeply  felt,  and  often  express- 
ed, so  much  respect  and  esteem,  for  your 
many  virtues — and,  admiration  for  your 
profound  talents. 

JOHN  ANDREW  GRAHAM. 

New-  York,      > 
Maij  Ut,  1828.  5 


PREFACE. 

The  folloicing  pages  are  denoted  to  a  subject 
tchich  has  long  baffled  talents  and  research, 
and  to  ichich,  at  this  late  hour,  scarcely  any 
thing  short  of  demonstration,  can  be  supposed 
to  impart  a  lively  interest.  While  the  compo- 
sitions of  Junius  have  furnished  a  model  of 
style,  as  bold  and  brilliant  as  it  is  classical, 
the  Author  has  eluded  discovery,  and  to  this 
moment,  as  if  disdaining  applause,  the  motto 
emblazoned  on  the  escutcheon  of  his  fame,  ap- 
plies, "  Stat  nominis  umbra."  This,  it  must 
be  admitted,  is  an  appalling  circumstance, 
not  only  checking  ambition,  but  assailing  the 
inquirer  at  the  entrance ;  like  some  ancient 
sepidchral  inscription,  at  once  rebuking  the 
curiosity  of  the  profane  intruder,  and  sternly 
jirohibiting  his  fui'ther  advance. 


VL  PREFACE. 

Knoicing,  however,  that  the  aveJiiies  to  the  tem- 
ple of  truth  are  ever  open,  and  that  its  votaries 
are  not  to  he  deterred  from  fair  and  manly 
discussion,  the  Author  of  the  following  Essay 
has  ventured  upon  a  disclosure  of  facts  and 
circumstances,  ichich  will  not  suffer  hitnself,  at 
least,  to  doubt  as  to  the  identity  of  Junius. 
He  had  the  honor  of  the  acquaintance  of  John 
HoRNE  TooKE  ;  and  from  the  opportunities 
ichich  this  afforded,  aided  by  other  circum- 
stances, he  has  been  enabled  to  furnish  facts 
hitherto  unknoion ;  and  to  present  others  in  a 
light  so  neiD,  as  to  induce  a  probability  that 
Tooke  and  Junius  are  the  same.  Whether  he 
has  happily  succeeded  in  forcing  the  belief 
which  he  seeks  to  establish,  and  thus  securing 
to  the  memory  of  his  departed  friend,  the 
immortality  which  shrouds  the  name  q/*  Junius, 
j)ublic  opinion  will  decide.  To  this  tribunal 
he  has  appealed,  and  his  submission  to  it  will 
be  as  voluntary  as  it  must  be  imperative.  He 
will  not  conceal,  hotcever,  the  pleasure  it  would 
give  him  to  be  the  humble  instrument  of  restor- 


PREFACE.  Vir 

ing  to  the  rightful  owner,  honors  of  so  tran- 
scendent a  character.  John  Horne  Tooke, 
now  that  the  clouds  of  political  contention 
have  passed  away,  stands  clarum  et  venerabile 
nomen.  His  genius  was  transcendent — his 
talents  of  the  first  order — his  struggles  for 
liberty  sincere — his  privations  and  sufferings 
great — and  his  patriotism  undoubted. 

It  must  not  be  understood  that  the  Author 
claims  the  originality  oj  the  suggestion  that 
Tooke  is  Junius ;  of  the  constellation  of  emi- 
nent literary  characters  of  that  age,  numbers 
have  been  selected  to  that  honor,  by  literary 
curiosity  or  impertinence,  and  among  others 
John  Horne  Tooke.  He  hopes,  however,  with- 
out subjecting  himself  to  the  imputation  of 
vanity,  he  may  be  allowed  the  merit  of  having 
contributed  to  change  mere  suspicion  into  en- 
during  and  unalterable  belief.  He  seeks,  by 
his  humble  labors,  not  to  weave  the  wreath,  but 
^merely  to  bind  it  on,  having  first  ascertained 
the  broics  destined  to  wear  it.     If  he  fails  of 


VIII  PREFACE. 


this,  he  will  at  least  have  the  satisfactio7i  of 
knowing  his  motives  icere  pure,  and  of  having, 
tchile  employed  in  this  way,  scattered  many 
agreeable  associations  along  the  path  of  a  life 
rapidly  descending  into  the  vale. 

The  Author  begs  leave  to  add,  that  he  has 
considted,  and  freely  draimi  from  every  pubr 
lication  respecting  Junius,  to  ichich  he  has 
had  access,  and  takes  this  ojyportunity,  in  con- 
clusion, of  acknowledging  the  kindness  of 
many  of  his  literary  friends,  particularly  Mr. 
S.  F.  Wilson,  and  of  assuring  them  that  his 
gratitude,  though  not  so  widely  circidatedy 
will  be  as  lasting  as  the  name  of  Junius. 


)     1    >    .     >     J  '  1  '     >     S    J  »     »    5    '    > 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  publication  of  the  Letters  of  Junius  forms 
a  singular  epoch  in  the  literary  history  of  the  last 
century.  They  are  the  first  and  most  perfect  speci- 
mens of  that  kind  of  political  writing,  which  has  since 
so  much  abounded  in  the  public  prints,  both  of  this 
country  and  of  England  ;  and  like  most  originals,  they 
have  outlived  all  their  imitators  and  copyists.  Ad- 
dressed directly  to  men  high  in  office,  and  enjoying 
the  confidence  of  the  sovereign,  they  spoke  in  terms 
of  such  haughty  superiority — were  so  acrimonious  in 
their  language — so  vehement  in  accusation — and  so 
fierce  in  invective,  that  they  excited  a  most  extraordi- 
nary degree  of  curiosity  and  wonder.  All  the  engines 
of  authority  were  put  in  motion,  aided  by  the  violence 
of  party  spirit,  enflamed  by  personal  resentment,  to 
discover  the  audacious  writer,  who  addressed  in  terms 
of  such  unmeasured  indignation,  the  highest  and  most 
powerful  men  in  the  kingdom — and  who  spared  not 

2 


10  MEMOIRS   OF 

in  his  sweeping  reproaches,  even  the  character  and 
conduct  of  the  king.  The  excitements  to  which  this 
state  of  things  led,  have  passed  away  with  the  per- 
sonages and  events  by  which  they  were  raised  ;  these 
letters  are,  however,  saved  from  the  common  lot  of 
oblivion,  and  are  still  read  with  admiration  and  curi- 
osity. This  is  owing  partly  to  the  mystery  in  which 
the  writer  shrouded  himself,  and  which  he  succeeded 
in  preserving,  amid  all  the  efforts  which  were  then 
made  and  which  have  been  continued  for  half  a  cen- 
tury, to  discover  and  identify  him  ;  but  mostly  to  the 
intrinsic  merits  of  their  style,  and  their  wonderful 
power  of  argument  and  expression.  As  models  of 
composition,  they  have  been  already  ranked  with  the 
Classics  of  England.  No  other  work  can  be  produc- 
ed in  which  the  same  purity  of  diction  is  so  uniformly 
sustained  in  the  midst  of  such  vehemence  of  passion. 
The  strongest  ideas  of  reproach  which  the  mind  con- 
ceives are  expressed  in  the  strongest  terms  which 
words  can  supply  ;  and  the  author,  '.'  even  in  the 
tempest  and  whirlwind  of  his  passion,"  employs  the 
most  forcible  and  polished  phrases  and  illustrations — 
as  though  the  loftiness  of  his  indignation  could  conde- 
scend to  nothing  below  the  noblest  powers  of  lan- 
guage.    So   generally  has  this  been  acknowledged, 


JOHN   HORNE    TOOKE.  -  11 

that  many  of  the  condensed  expressions  of  thought, 
and  beautiful  illustrations  with  which  they  abound, 
have  been  quoted  so  frequently  as  to  become  the 
common  property  of  literature,  "  familiar  in  our 
mouths  as  household  words." 

To  a  work  of  such  high  character  and  acknowledg- 
ed excellence,  it  is  not  extraordinary  that  many  claims 
of  authorship  should  have  been  advanced.  During 
the  fifty  years  which  have  now  elapsed,  since  the 
termination  of  the  letters,  and  their  publication  in  the 
form  of  a  volume,  many  circumstances  of  apparent 
coincidence  have  been  brought  to  light,  each  of  which 
in  its  turn,  has  been  eagerly  seized  upon  by  the  friends 
of  some  eminent  person,  as  affording  evidence  of  his 
claim  to  the  title  of  Junius,  and  made  the  foundation 
of  new  and  different  theorj'.  One  of  the  most  singu- 
lar of  these  hypothesis,  was  the  attempt  to  claim  the 
authorship  for  the  Duke  of  Portland,  for  no  other 
reason  than  that  Junius  wrote  against  the  claim  of 
Sir  James  Lowther,  to  the  Duke's  property  of  Ingle- 
wood  Forest,  in  Cumberland. 

/ 
Many  others  were  advanced  with  as  little  claim  to 

probability,  and  in  this  manner,  men  of  the  most  op- 


1.2,  MEMOIRS    OP 

posite  professions  and  situations  in  life,  and  of  entirely 
different  and  discordant  political  principles,  have  been 
at  divers  times  set  forth  to  the  world  by  some  inju- 
dicious admirer,  as  the  true  Junius.  But  to  each  and 
all  of  these,  some  insuperable  objection  has  been,  upon 
closer  inquiry,  invariably  found  ;  and  to  this  day  the 
authorship  of  Junius  remains  a  problem  in  literature, 
defying  the  solution  of  the  most  ingenious.  We  may 
approach  the  result,  but  it  seems  now  settled  that  a 
complete  and  perfect  body  of  proof  cannot  now  be 
attained. 

It  was  at  first  naturally  imagined,  that  no  man 
possessing  the  common  passions  of  our  nature,  could 
persist  in  concealing  himself,  to  avoid  the  admiration 
of  his  fellow-men.  It  was  considered  not  only  a 
phenomenon  in  literature,  but  an  anomaly  in  human 
action,  that  one  could  not  only  refrain  from  avowing 
himself,  to  receive  in  his  life-time  the  laurels  with 
which  the  world  stood  ready  to  crown  him,  but  should 
die  and  leave  no  trace  by  which  his  work  could  be 
identified  for  him.  But  as  one  by  one,  all  those  for 
whom  it  had  been  claimed  with  any  show  of  proba- 
bility, died  without  making  the  disclosure,  and  no 
discoveries  among  their  writings,  or  from  their  port- 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  13 

folios,    authorised  a  posthumous   claim  for  them,  all 
expectation  of  a  direct  avowal  has  ceased. 

It  is  then  only  from  circumstantial  proof,  from  a 
comparison  of  the  style,  manner,  expressions  and 
political  principles  of  the  Letters  of  Junius,  with  the 
known  character,  and  avowed  writings  of  some  dis- 
tinguished personage,  that  we  can  approximate  to  the 
truth.  If  these  are  found  to  coincide  in  every  respect, 
a  case  of  strong  probability  will  be  made  out,  and 
if  in  addition,  they  are  aided  by  unguarded  expres- 
sions in  confidential  conversation  on  the  very  sub- 
ject, almost  avowing  the  work,  the  proof  will  be 
further  strengthened,  and  the  probability  will  approach 
to  demonstration. 

It  will  be  the  object  of  this  essay  to  show  in  whose 
favor  these  circumstances  exist  most  decidedly,  and 
to  explain  the  reasonings  and  inferences  which  have 
induced  the  belief  that  the  writer  of  these  celebrated 
letters  was  no  other  than  John  Horne  Tooke. 

Should  the  questions  be  asked  why  this  discussion 
is  commenced  at  so  late  a  period,  and  why  it  is  under- 
taken by  an  individual  so  far  from  the  theatre  of 


■^■- 


14  MEMOIRS    OF 

action,  and  seemingly  unconnected  with  the  events, 
the  answers  will  be  explicit.  To  the  first  interroga- 
tion, the  reply  is  brief  and  simple.  The  literary 
world  has  a  powerful  interest  in  the  just  distribution 
of  the  honors  of  Uterature.  The  claims  of  the 
rightful  owner  can  never  grow  obsolete,  because  truth 
and  justice  are  eternal.  That  the  successful  author 
shuns  the  rewards  which  are  prepared  for  him,  is  not 
conclusive  against  inquiry.  False  claims  will  abound 
where  the  ownership  of  the  estate  is  doubtful,  and  it 
is  for  the  general  interest  of  literature  that  the  title 
should  be  quieted.  When  the  facts,  which  are  relied 
on,  are  fairly  before  the  public,  we  have  no  fears  but 
that  their  verdict  will  be  just. 

In  order  to  explain  the  circumstances  upon  which  1 
conceived  the  idea  that  John  Horne  Tooke  was  the 
author  of  the  Ltctters  of  Junius,  even  before  I  exam- 
ined the  eyidence  afforded  by  the  work  itself,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  recount  briefly  the  origin  and  occasion 
of  my  acquaintance  and  connexion  with  him.  In  the 
year  1794,  I  was  sent  on  a  mission  to  England,  by 
the  Episcopal  Convention  of  the  State  of  Vermont, 
upon  ecclesiastical  affairs,  connected  Avith  the  Courts 
of  Canterbury  and  York,  and  "  the  venerable  society 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  15 

ibr  propagating  the  gospel  in  foreign  parts."  The 
nature  of  my  duties,  as  the  accredited  agent  of  so 
highly  respectable  a  body,  brought  me  at  once  into 
contact  with  most  of  the  great  and  learned  men  of 
England,  and  gave  me  the  means  of  the  society  of  all, 
had  I  so  pleased.  It  is  but  natural  to  suppose,  that 
such  opportunities  of  intercourse  as  I  enjoyed,  were 
eagerly  improved  by  one  whose  habits  and  pursuits 
were  in  search  of  knowledge,  and  whose  ambition  it 
has  always  been  to  mingle  with  the  good  and  gi'cat. 
It  may  not  be  considered  superfluous  to  add,  that  I 
had  the  honor  of  being  recognized  as  a  kinsman,  and 
hospitably  entertained  by  one  of  the  most  noble  and 
distinguished  personages  in  Great  Britain. 

Among  the  eminent  men,  whose  society  I  had  tlit 
gratification  of  enjoying,  none  stood  higher  in  my 
estimation,  or  in  that  of  the  public,  than  Mr.  ToOKE, 
and  his  intercourse  I  industriously  cultivated.  In  the 
year  1796,  two  years  after  my  first  visiting  London,  I 
became  a  resident  in  the  City  of  Westminster.  It  is 
in  the  memory  of  all  conversant  with  the  history  of 
British  politics,  that  in  the  summer  of  that  year,  a 
powerful  efl,brt  was  made  at  the  general  election  to 
secure   a  preponderance   of  the  Whig  party  in  the 


16  MEMOIRS   OE* 

ensuing  parliament.     Mr.  Tooke  was  a  candidate  for 
the  representation  of  Westminster,  and  I,  if  not  an 
efficient,  was  an  active  and  zealous  supporter  of  his 
interest.     As  an  American  I  could  not  feel  lukewarm 
in  the  cause  of  one  of  the  earliest  champions  of  Ame- 
rica— one  who  had  fearlessly  stood  forth  the  advocate 
of  my   countrymen   in   the   commencement   of  their 
eventful  struggle,  and  had  suffered  fine  and  imprison- 
ment in  their  behalf.     As  a  lover  of  justice,  I  could 
not  behold,  without  indignation,  the  unrelenting  per- 
secution with  which  he  had  been  followed  from  his 
earhest  days,  by  the  most  powerful  men  in  the  king- 
dom ;   the  obstinate  and  rancorous  hatred  which  had 
arbitrarily  excluded  him  from  the  pursuit  of  an  honor- 
able profession,  and  one  for  which  he  was  peculiarly 
fitted,  had  harassed  him  with  actions  and  prosecutions, 
and  sought  to  take  his  life,  upon  the  pretext  of  high 
treason,  under  the  abused  sanction  of  the  law.     His 
political  principles,    those  of  pure  Whiggism,    were 
those  in  which  I  had  been  trained,  and  of  which  I 
considered   him  one  of  the  most  efficient   advocates. 
\Vith  these  feelings  I  entered  warmly  into  his  cause, 
and  though  his  attempt  proved  unsuccessful,  was  for 
my  disinterested   and  unsolicited  exertions,   received 
into  his  confidence  ',  which  confidence,  I  am  proud  to 


JOHiN   HORNE   TOOKE.  17 

say,  continued  unimpaired  until  my  departure  from 
London,  on.  my  return  liome  in  the  summer  of  1800. 
It  was  from  the  intimacy  which  ensued,  that  I  gathered 
the  several  expressions  which  I  am  about  to  relate  ; 
which  expressions  first  gave  rise  to  the  belief  which 
has  since  risen  to  conviction,  that  he  was  Junius.  In 
the  summer  of  the  year  1797,  I  held  a  conversation 
with  him  upon  the  subject  of  his  controversy  with 
Junius,  in  which,  after  mentioning  my  admiration  of 
the  style  of  Junius,  I  added  with  a  smile,  that  I  of 
course  excepted  his  harsh  epithets  and  coarse  invective 
against  Parson  Home ;  upon  which  Mr.  TooKE  re- 
plied, smiling,  "  Junius  is  the  best  friend  I  ever  had 
on  earth." 

On  another  occasion,  in  my  presence,  a  mutual  and 
reverend  friend,  in  a  similar  conversation,  put  the 
question  directly  to  Mr.  Tooke. — "  Do  you  then 
know  the  author  of  Junius  ?" — "  Yes,"  replied  he, 
'«I  do  know  him  better  than  any  man  in  England." — 
"  Pray,  Sir,  is  he  now  living  ?" — "  Yes,  my  dear  Sir, 
he  is  yet  alive." — "  He  must  then  be  an  old  man — do 
you  know  his  age  ?" — Mr.  Tooke  instantly  replied, 
•'  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  I  can  assure  you  that  Parson 
Home  and  Junius  were  born  on  the  same  day  in  the 
City  of  Westminster.''^ 


18  MEMOIRS   or 

The  singular  nature  of  these  avowals,  connected  witk 
so  celebrated  a  controversy,  immediately  .gave  me  the 
impression,  that  he  was  either  himself,  as  his  expressions 
imply,  the  writer  of  Junius,  or  was  so  intimately  con- 
nected with  tiie  writer,  as  to  have  the  means  of  making 
the  disco verj'.  In  this  1  find  myself  corroborated  by 
the  following  circumstance  related  in  the  life  of  Tooke, 
by  Alexander  Stephens,  and  published  in  1813,  (page 
358,  vol.  ii.) 

On  the  21st  June,  1807,  at  Mr.  Tooke's  house  at 
Wimbledon,  some  conversation  occurred  that  day  at 
dinner  relative  to  Junius.  He  laughed  at  the  idea  of 
Mr.  Boyd's  being  the  author,  as  affirmed  by  Almon. 
On  being  told  that  Henry  Sampson  Woodfall  had  in- 
timated that  he  was  in  possession  of  several  letters  from 
him,  in  a  fine  Italian  hand,  and  seemingly  written  by 
means  of  a  crow-quill,  he  observed,  "  that  Mr.  Wood- 
fall  was  a  very  honest  man,  but  he  doubted  the  fact ! 
They  had  been  all  surrendered." 

"  One  of  the  company  now  asked  if  he  knew  the 
author.''  On  the  question  being  put,  he  immediately 
crossed  his  knife  and  fork  on  his  plate,  and  assuming 
a  stern  look,  replied  '  I  do.'     His  manner,  tone,  and 


JOHN    IIORNE   TOOKE.  19 

attitude,  were  all  too  formidable  to  admit  of  any  furtiier 
interrogatories." 

From  the  circumstances  which  1  have  narrated,  as 
coming  under  my  personal  observation,  and  the  pecu- 
liar manner  in  which   it  was  Mr.  Tooke's  pleasure  to 
speak  on  the  subject,  it  became  my  conviction,  that  he 
was  himself  the  author.     From  the  insolated  facts,  it  is 
clear  that  he  knew  the  writer.     If,  in  the  course  of  the 
after  inquiry,   any  fact  had   appeared,    which  rendered 
it  physically  impossible,   that  he  could  have  been  the 
author  :    if  the  political  principles   therein  avowed  had 
been  found  differing   essentially  from  his,  or  the  style 
and  manner  of  the   letters  had  been  found   radically 
different  from   Mr.  Tooke's  style  and   manner,    the 
naked  truth  would  have  still   remained  for  aid  in  an- 
other  inquiry,    that  TooKE  knew   the  author.      But 
when  no  such  discrepances  are  found  to  exist,  and  in 
all  material  points,  remarkable  coincidences  are  found ; 
it  is,  when  connected  with  the  declaration  of  Junius, 
"  that  he  was   the  sole  depository  of  his  own  secret," 
evidence  that  they  were  the  same.      That   ^'Parson 
Home'''  and  the  unknown  antagonist  with  whom  he 
wared,  were  but  varieties  of  the  same  great  man. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  VERY  ingenious  and  elaborate  work  on  the  present 
subject,  was  published  a  few  years  since  in  England, 
entitled,  "  The  identity  of  Junius  with  a  distinguished 
living  character  established — including  a  supplement, 
consisting  of  fac-similes  of  handwriting,  and  other  illus- 
trations." It  is  understood  to  be  the  production  of 
Mr.  John  Taylor,  a  very  industrious  and  candid  writer. 
In  this  work  the  claims  of  Sir  Philip  Francis  are  urged 
with  so  much  apparent  force  and  proof,  that  it  is  ne- 
cessary, (by  more  closely  discussing  and  disposing  of 
them,)  to  clear  the  way  for  other  examination.  The 
air  of  complete  decision  and  confidence  with  which 
Mr.  Taylor  presses  his  arguments,  adds  considerably 
to  their  weight  and  effect.  To  those  who  have  not 
examined  the  subject  in  all  its  bearings,  the  sincere 
conviction  of  an  honest  and  able  man  who  has  studied 
it  thoroughly,  has  deservedly  some  of  the  force  of  evi- 
dence in  favor  of  its  truth.     Upon  grounds  similar  to 


22  MEMOIRS    OF 

this,  the  opinion  seems  to  spread  that  Mr.  Taylor's 
arguments  and  proofs  are  irrefragable,  and  that  Sir 
Philip  is  undeniably  identified  with  Junius.  But, 
however  singular  some  of  the  circumstances  and  coin- 
cidences may  be,  (and  1  am  free  to  confess  that  some 
of  them  are  so  remarkable,  as  rarely  to  be  found  in  the 
chapter  of  accidents,)  there  are  several  objections  to 
his  claims  which  appear  to  me  unanswerable. 

A  most  formidable  objection  is  contained  in  the  fact, 
that  Sir  Philip  has  expressly  disclaimed  the  authorship 
attributed  to  him.  Soon  after  the  appearance  of  Mr. 
Taylor's  pamphlet,  the  editor  of  the  Monthly  Magazine 
(Sir  Richard  Phillips  I  believe,)  intended  to  pursue  the 
inquiry  in  the  form  of  a  review.  In  order,  however, 
to  know  Sir  Phillips'  pleasure  on  the  subject,  and  to 
receive  some  admission  from  him,  (if  he  really  were  the 
author)  he  addressed  him  a  note,  in  which  he  directly 
made  the  inquiry.  To  this  he  received  the  following 
epistle  in  reply  from  Sir  Philip  Francis : — 

"  Sir — The  great  civility  of  your  letter  induces  me 
*'  to  answer  it,  which,  with  reference  merely  to  the  sub- 
"  ject  matter,  I  should  have  declined.  Whether  you 
"  will  assist  in  giving  currency  to  a  silly,   malignant 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKK.  23 

"  falsehood,  is  a  question  for  your  own  discretion.     To 
"  me  it  is  a  matter  of  perfect  indifference. 

♦'  I  am,  Sir, 

"  Yours,  &c. 

"  P.  Francis." 

This  seems  to  me  to  put  the  matter  at  rest,  for  I  can- 
not understand  Mr.  Taylor's  special  pleading  upon  the 
terms  on  which  it  is  drawn  up.  To  my  understanding 
it  is  no  less  than  a  direct  affirmation  that  the  charge  of 
being  the  author  was  "  a  silly  malignant  falsehood." 
This  is  the  imequivocal  meaning  of  the  words  ;  and  in 
another  place  I  shall  show,  that,  situated  as  Sir  Philip 
was  in  life,  at  that  time,  it  is  truly  a  malignity,  (not- 
withstanding Mr.  Taylor's  disclaimers)  to  put  into  his 
mouth  the  sentiments  and  language  oi  Junius ;  because 
it  would  fasten  upon  him  an  indelible  stain  of  character^, 
involving  moral  delinquences,  breaches  of  honor,  gra- 
titude and  feeling,  of  which  no  man  would  suspect  Sir 
Philip. 

Dr.  Parr,  upon  this  subject,  and  with  reference  to 
this  work  of  Mr.  Taylor's,  thus  speaks — "  The  im- 
pression produced  by  a  well  written  pamphlet,  and  an 
elaborate  critique  upon  it,  in  the  Edinburgh  Review, 
still  direct  the  national  faith  towards  Sir  Philip  Francis. 


24  MEMOIRS   OF 

He  was  too  proud  to  tell  a  lie,  and  he  disclaimed  the 
work.  He  was  too  vain  to  refuse  celebrity,  which  he 
was  conscious  of  deserving.  He  was  too  intrepid  to 
shrink  when  danger  had  nearly  passed  by.  He  was 
too  irascible  to  keep  the  secret,  by  the  publication  of 
which,  he,  at  this  time  of  day,  could  injure  no  party 
with  whom  he  is  connected,  nor  any  individual  for 
whom  he  cared.  Besides,  my  dear  Sir,  we  have  many 
books  of  his  writings  upon  many  subjects,  and  all  of 
them  stamped  with  the  same  character  of  mind.  Their 
general  hods  (as  we  say  in  Greek)  has  no  resemblance 
to  the  lexis  of  Junius,  and  the  resemblance  in  par- 
ticulars can  have  far  less  weight  than  the  resemblance 
of  which  we  have  no  vestage.  Francis  uniformly 
writes  English,  there  are  gallicisms  in  Junius.  Francis 
is  furious,  but  not  malevolent ;  Francis  is  never  cool, 
and  Junius  is  seldom  ardent."  Again,  "  We  must  all 
grant  that  a  strong  case  has  been  made  out  for  Fran- 
cis, but  I  could  set  up  very  stout  objections  to  those 
claims.  It  was  not  in  his  nature  to  keep  a  secret. 
He  would  have  told  it  from  vanity,  or  from  his  courage, 
or  from  his  patriotism.  His  bitterness,  his  vivacity, 
his  acuteness,  are  stamped  in  characters  very  peculiar 
upon  many  publications  that  bear  his  name,  and  very 
faint  indeed  is  their  resemblance  to  the  spirit,  and  in 
an  extended  sense  of  the  word,  to  the  style  of  Junius.^' 


JOHN    IIORNE   TOOKE.  25 

This  opinion  of  so  excellent  a  judge  of  composition 
as  Dr.  Parr,  deserves  great  attention ;  and  his  con- 
clusions from  the  substance  of  the  second  objection  to 
Sir  Philips'  claims,  viz.  the  inequality  of  his  avowed 
writings  with  the  writings  of  Junius.  On  this  part 
of  the  argument  we  shall  quote  at  large  from  the  re- 
miniscences of  Charles  Butler,  Esq.,  whose  opinions, 
as  those  of  an  eminent  literary  and  legal  character, 
and  a  cotemporary  of  Junius,  are  entitled  to  unreserved 
attention."  The  external  evidence  produced  in  these 
pamphlets  is  strong,  so  strong  perhaps  that  if  he  had 
been  tried  upon  it  for  a  lible,  and  the  case  had  rested 
upon  the  facts  from  which  this  evidence  is  formed,  the 
judge  would  have  directed  the  jury  to  find  him  guilty. 
But  the  internal  evidence  against  him,  from  the  in- 
equality of  his  acknowledged  writings,  is  also  very 
strong:  If  the  able  author  of  the  article,  "  JwmMs,"  in 
the  Edinburgh  Review  (for  November,  1817)  had  not 
professed  a  different  opinion,  the  present  writer  would 
have  pronounced  it  decisive.  That  respectable  writer 
produces  several  passages  from  the  works  of  which  Sir 
Philip  was  certainly  the  author,  and  finds  in  them  a 
similar  tone  and  equal  merit ;  with  due  deference  to  his 
authorit}',  the  reminiscent  begs  leave  to  think,  that  if 
these  passages  serve  to  show  that  Sir  Philip  was  no 

4 


26  MEMOIRS   OF 

mean  writer,  they  also  prove,  that  he  was  not  Junius, 
To  brhig  the  question  to  a  direct  issue — are  the  glow 
and  loftiness  discernible  in  every  page  of  Junius,  once 
visible  in  any  of  these  extracts  ?  Where  do  we  find  in 
the  writings  of  Sir  Philip,  "  those  thoughts  that  breathe, 
those  words  that  burn,"  that  Junius  scatters  in  every 
page  ?  A  single  drop  of  the  cobra  copella  which  falls 
from  Junius  so  often  ? 

Junius  had  evidently  been  a  great  constitutional 
reader  ;  Does  Sir  Philip  appear  to  have  been  such, 
from  any  of  his  writings,  even  the  latest  ? 

But,  to  bring  the  matter  at  once  to  issue,  we  shall 
transcribe  from  the  article  on  Junius,  in  the  Edinburgh 
Review,  a  passage  from  a  publication  in  which  Sir 
Philip  attacks  Lord  Thurlow,  then  insert  a  passage  in 
which  Junius  attacks  Lord  Mansfield.  We  request 
our  readers  will  compare  them,  and  afterward  com- 
pare the  extract  from  Junius,  with  the  passage  of  Hyder 
Ally's  invasion  of  the  Carnatic,  transcribed  from  one 
of  Mr.  Burke's  speeches  in  a  future  part  of  this  publi- 
cation. Will  he  not  find  the  inferiority  of  Sir  Philip 
so  great  as  to  render  it  impossible  that  he  should  have 
been  the  author  ofjimius'  Letters  ?  On  the  other  hand, 


JOHN    HORNE   TOOKE.  27 

will  he  not  find  the  difference,  we  do  not  say  in  the 
styles,  but  in  the  minds  of  Junius  and  Burke,  to  be 
such  as  to  render  it  quite  evident  that  Burke  and 
Junius  were  not  the  same  person  ? 


SIR   PHILIP    FRANCIS'    CHARACTER   OF   LORD 
THURLOW. 

"  It  is  well  known  that  a  gross  and  public  insult  had 
been  offered  to  the  memory  of  General  Clavering  and 
Colonel  Monson,  by  a  person  of  high  rank  in  this 
country.  He  was  happy  when  he  heard  that  his 
name  was  included  in  it  with  theirs.  So  highly  did 
he  respect  the  character  of  those  men,  that  he  deemed 
it  an  honor  to  share  in  the  injustice  it  had  suffered. 
It  was  in  compliance  with  the  forms  of  the  house, 
and  not  to  shelter  himself,  or  out  of  tenderness  to  the 
party,  that  he  forebore  to  name  him.  He  meant  to 
describe  him  so  exactly,  that  he  could  not  be  mistaken. 
He  declared  in  his  place,  in  a  great  assembly,  and  in 
the  course  of  a  grave  deliberation,  '  that  it  would  have 
been  happy  for  this  country,  if  General  Clavering, 
Colonel  Monson  and  Mr.  Francis,  had  been  drowned 
in  their  passage  to  India.'     If  this  poor  and  spiteful 


2S  MEMOIRS    OF 

invective  had  been  uttered  by  a  man  of  no  conse- 
quence or  repute,  by  any  light,  trifling,  inconsiderate 
person,  by  a  lord  of  the  bed-chamber,  for  example,  or 
any  of  the  other  silken  barons  of  modern  days,  he 
should  have  heard  it  with  indifl'erence.  But  when  it 
was  seriously  urged  and  deliberately  insisted  on  by  a 
grave  lord  of  parliament — by  a  judge — by  a  man  of 
ability  and  eminence  in  his  profession,  whose  personal 
disposition  was  serious,  who  carried  gravity  to  stern- 
ness, and  sternness  to  ferocity,  it  could  not  be  receiv- 
ed with  indifference,  or  answered  without  resentment. 
Such  a  man  would  be  thought  to  have  inquired  before 
he  pronounced.  From  his  mouth,  a  reproach  was  a 
sentence,  an  invective  was  a  judgment.  The  accidents 
of  life,  and  not  any  original  distinction  that  he  knew 
of,  had  placed  him  too  high,  and  himself  at  too  great 
a  distance  from  him,  to  admit  of  any  other  answer  than 
a  public  defiance,  for  General  Clavering,  for  Colonel 
Monson,  and  for  himself.  This  was  not  a  party  ques- 
tion, nor  should  it  be  left  to  so  feeble  an  advocate  as 
he  was,  to  support  it.  The  friends  and  fellow-soldiers 
of  General  Clavering  and  Colonel  Monson  would 
assist  him  in  defending  their  memory.  He  demanded 
and  expected  the  support  of  every  man  of  honor  in 
thai  house,  and  in  the  kingdom.     What  character  was 


JOHN    HORNE   TOOKE.  29 

safe,  if  slander  was  permitted  to  attack  the  reputation 
of  two  of  the  most  honorable  and  virtuous  men  that 
ever  were  employed,  or  ever  perished  in  the  service  of 
their  country  ?  He  knew  that  the  authority  of  this 
man  was  not  without  weight ;  but  he  had  an  infinitely 
higher  authority  to  oppose  it.  He  had  the  happiness  of 
hearing  the  merits  of  General  Clavering  and  Colonel 
Mohson  acknowledged  and  applauded  in  terms  to 
which  he  was  not  at  liberty  to  do  more  than  to  allude : 
they  were  rapid  and  expressive.  He  must  not  venture 
to  repeat,  lest  he  should  do  them  injustice,  or  violate 
the  forms  of  respect,  where  essentially  he  owed  and  felt 
the  most.  But  he  was  sufficiently  understood.  The 
generous  sensations  that  animate  the  royal  mind,  were 
easily  distinguished  from  those  which  rankled  in  the 
heart  of  that  person  who  was  supposed  to  be  the  keeper 
of  the  royal  conscience." 


EXTRACT  FROM  THE  LETTER  OF  JUNIUS  TO  LORD 

MANSFIELD. 

"You  will  not  question  my  veracity,  when  I  assure 
you  that  it  has  not  been  owing  to  any  particular  respect 
for  your  person  that  I  have  abstained  from  you  so  long. 


30  MEMOIRS    OF 

Beside  the  distress  and  danger  with  which  the  press  is 
threatened,  when  your  lordship  is  party,  and  the  party 
is  to  be  judge,  1  confess  I  have  been  deterred  by  the 
difficulty  of  the  task.  Our  language  has  no  term  of 
reproach,  the  mind  has  no  idea  of  detestation,  which 
has  not  already  been  happily  applied  to  you  and  ex- 
hausted. Ample  justice  has  been  done  by  abler  pens 
than  mine  to  the  separate  merits  of  your  life  and  char- 
acter. Let  it  be  my  humble  office  to  collect  the  scat- 
tered sweets,  till  their  united  virtue  tortures  the  sense. 

"  Permit  me  to  begin  with  paying  a  just  tribute  to 
Scotch  sincerity,  wherever  I  find  it.     I  own  I  am  not 
apt  to  confide   in  the   professions  of  gentlemen  of  that 
country,   and  when  they  smile,  I  feel  an   involuntary 
emotion  to  guard  myself  against  mischief.      With  this 
general  opinion  of  an  ancient  nation,  I  always  thought 
it  much  to  your  lordship's  honor,  that,  in  your  earlier 
days,  you  were  but  little  infected  with  the  prudence  of 
your  country.     You   had  some  original   attachments. 
which  you  took  every  proper  opportunity  to  acknow- 
ledge.    The  liberal  spirit  of  jouth  prevailed  over  your 
native   discretion.     Your   zeal  in  the  cause  of  an  un- 
happy prince  was  expressed  with  the  sincerity  of  wine, 
and  some  of  the  solemnities  of  religion.     This  1  cou- 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  31 

ceive  is  the  most  amiable  point  of  view  in  which  your 
character  has  appeared.  Like  an  honest  man,  you  took 
that  part  in  politics,  which  might  have  been  expected 
from  your  birth,  education,  country,  and  connexions. 
There  was  something  generous  in  your  attachment  to 
the  banished  house  of  Stuart.  We  lament  the  mistakes 
of  a  good  man,  and  do  not  begin  to  detest  him  until 
he  affects  to  renounce  his  principles.  Why  did  you  not 
adhere  to  that  loyalty  you  once  professed?  Why  did 
you  not  follow  the  example  of  your  worthy  brother  ? 
With  him  you  might  have  shared  in  the  honor  of  the 
Pretender's  confidence — with  him  you  might  have  pre- 
served the  integrity  of  your  character,  and  England, 
I  think,  might  have  spared  you  without  regret.  Your 
friends  will  say  perhaps,  that  although  you  deserted  the 
fortune  of  your  liege  lord,  you  have  adhered  firmly  to  the 
principles  which  drove  his  father  from  the  throne  ! — 
that  without  openly  supporting  the  person,  you  have 
done  essential  service  to  the  cause,  and  consoled  your- 
self for  the  loss  of  a  favorite  family,  by  reviving  and 
establishing  the  maxims  of  their  government.  This  is 
the  way  in  which  a  Scotchman's  understanding  corrects 
the  errors  of  his  heart.  My  lord,  1  acknowledge  the 
truth  of  the  defence,  and  can  trace  it  through  all  your 
condnct.     I  see  through  ypur  whole  life,  one  uniform 


22,  ME3I0IRS   OF 

plan  to  enlarge  the  power  of  the  crown,  at  the  expense 
of  the  liberty  of  the  subject.  To  this  object,  your 
thoughts,  words,  and  actions,  have  been  constantly 
directed.  In  contempt  or  ignorance  of  the  common 
iaw  of  England,  you  have  made  it  your  study  to  intro- 
duce into  the  court,  where  you  preside,  maxims  of 
jurisprudence  unknown  to  Englishmen.  The  Roman 
code,  the  law  of  nations,  and  the  opinion  of  foreign 
civilians,  are  your  perpetual  theme  ; — but  whoever 
heard  you  mention  magna  charta  or  the  bill  of  rights, 
with  approbation  or  respect?  By  such  treacherous 
arts,  the  noble  simplicity  and  the  spirit  of  our  laws 
were  first  corrupted.  '  The  Norman  conquest  was  not 
complete  until  Norman  lawyers  had  introduced  their 
laws,  and  reduced  slavery  to  a  system.  This  one 
leading  principle  directs  your  interpretation  of  the 
laws,  and  accounts  for  your  treatment  of  juries.  It  is 
not  in  political  questions  only,  (for  there  the  courtier 
might  be  forgotten,)  but  let  the  cause  be  what  it  may, 
your  understanding  is  equally  on  the  rack,  either  to 
contract  the  power  of  the  jury,  or  to  mislead  their 
judgement.  For  the  truth  of  this  assertion,  I  appeal  to 
the  doctrine  you  delivered  in  Lord  Grosvenor's  cause. 
An  action  for  criminal  conversation  being  brought  by 
a  peer  against  a  prince  of  the  blood,  you  were  daring 


JOHN    llOKiNE   TOOKE.  33 

enough  to  tell  the  jury,  that  in  fixing  the  damages, 
they  were  to  pay  no  regard  to  the  quality  or  fortune  of 
the  parties  ; — that  it  was  a  trial  between  A.  and  B ; — 
that  they  were  to  consider  the  ofience  in  a  moral  light 
only,  and  give  no  greater  damages  to  a  peer  of  the 
realm  than  to  the  meanest  mechanic.  I  shall  not  at- 
tempt to  refute  a  doctrine,  which,  if  it  was  meant  for 
law,  carries  falsehood  and  absurdity  upon  the  face  of 
it ;  but  if  it  was  meant  for  a  declaration  of  your  politi- 
cal creed,  is  clear  and  consistent.  Under  an  arbitrary 
government,  all  ranks  and  distinctions  are  confounded. 
The  honor  of  a  nobleman  is  no  more  considered  than 
the  reputation  of  a  peasant,  for  with  diflerent  liveries 
they  are  equally  slaves. 

"  Even  in  matters  of  private  property,  we  see  the 
same  bias  and  inclination  to  depart  from  the  decisions 
of  your  predecessors,  which  you  certainly  ought  to 
receive  as  evidence  of  the  common  law.  Instead  of 
those  certain,  positive  rules,  by  which  the  judgment  of 
a  court  of  law  should  be  invariably  determined,  you 
have  fondly  introduced  your  own  unsettled  notions  of 
equity  and  substantial  justice.  Decisions  given  upon 
such  principles  do  not  alarm  the  public  so  much  as 
they  ought,  because  the  consequence  and  tendency  of 
each  particular  instance,  is  not  observed  or  regarded. 

5 


P4  MEMOIRS   OF 

In  the  mean  time  the  practice  gains  ground ;  the  court 
of  king's  bench  becomes  a  court  of  equity,  and  the 
judge,  instead  of  consuhing  strictly  the  law  of  the  land, 
refers  only  to  the  wisdom  of  the  court,  and  to  the  purity 
of  his  own  conscience.  The  name  of  Mr.  Justice  Yates 
will  naturally  revive  in  your  mind  some  of  those  emo- 
tions of  fear  and  detestation,  with  which  you  always  be- 
held him.  That  great  lawyer,  that  honest  man,  saw 
your  whole  conduct  in  the  light  that  I  do.  After  years 
of  ineffectual  resistance  to  the  pernicious  principles  in- 
troduced by  your  lordship,  and  uniformly  supported  by 
your  humble  friends  upon  the  bench,  he  determined  to 
quit  a  court  whose  proceedings  and  decisions  he  could 
neither  assent  to  with  honor,  nor  oppose  with  success." 

Such,  in  our  opinion,  is  the  state  of  the  question : 
all  external  evidence  is  in  favor  of  Sir  Philip,  all  in- 
ternal evidence  is  against  him.  Thus  the  argument 
on  each  side  neutralizes  the  argument  on  the  other, 
and  the  pretension  of  Sir  Philip  vanishes. 

A  third  hypothesis  is  therefore  necessary :  the  con- 
clusion to  which  it  should  lead,  ought  to  be  such  as  is 
consistent  with  the  evidence  on  each  side,  and  restores 
to  each  its  individual  activity. 


JOHN    IIORNE   TOOKE.  35 

Now  this  is  done,  and  perhaps  can  only  be  done  by 
supposing  that  Sir   Phihp  was  not  Junius,   but   the 
amanuensis  of  Junius ;  t];iat  the  real  Junius  was  too 
high  to  be  bought;  so  that  when  he  made  his  terms 
with   government,    he  was   contented  to  remain  in  a 
proud  obscurity,  but  stipulated  a  boon  for  his  scribe, 
and  was  of  consequence  enough  to  insist  that  the  boon 
should  be  liberal.      Now  several  passages  in  Junius^ 
Letters  seems  to  show  that  he  employed  an  amanuensis. 
In  a  note  to  Woodfall,  he  says,  "  You  shall  have   the 
"  letter  some  time  to-morrow.     It  cannot  be  corrected 
"  and  copied  sooner."     In  another  he  says,  "The  en- 
"  closed,  though  begun  within  these  few  days,  has  been 
"  greatly  labored.     It  is  very  correctly  copied."     In 
"  another  he  mentions,  "  the  gentleman  who  transacts 
"  the  conveyancing  part  of  their  correspondence,"  and 
"  who  told  him,  "  there  was  much  difficidty  last  night.'* 
That    gentleman,    therefore,    must    have    known    that 
a  mysterious  something  attended  these  letters.     Mr. 
Jackson's  testimony,  as  reported  by  Woodfall,  is,  that 
"  this  gentleman  wore  a  bag  and  sword."     If  the  re- 
collection of  the  writer,  that  Junius'  letter  to  the  King, 
is  in  a  handwriting  difterent  from  the  handwriting  of 
the  other  letters,  be   accurate,   the   evidence   for   an 
amanuensis  is  certainly  very  strong. 


36  MEMOIRS    OF 

If  the  copies  to  which  Junius  refers,  were  made  not 
by  himself,  but  which  is  certainly  most  probable  by 
some  other  person,  it  follows  incontrovertibly,  that  Sir 
Philip  Francis  and  Junius  were  different  persons. 

We  do  not,  however  say,  that  Sir  Philip  was  a  mere 
copyist :  he  may  occasionally  have  conveyed  useful  in- 
formation, and  suggested  useful  hints  to  his  principles, 
so  that,  to  a  certain  extent,  he  might,  without  impro- 
priety, be  said  to  have  been  his  collaborator. 

To  this  hypothesis,  the  reminiscent  begs  leave  to 
say,  that  he  inclines ;  it  includes  all  the  data  required 
by  him  for  the  author  of  Junius;  it  equally  admits  the 
arguments  in  favor  of  Sir  Philip  Francis  from  external, 
and  the  arguments  against  him  from  internal  evidence, 
and  reconciles  and  gives  activity  to  each. 

Junius  in  his  dedication,  prefixed  to  his  own  edition 
of  his  letters,  declares  that,  "  he  was  the  sole  deposi- 
tary of  his  own  secret."  This  seems  not  to  be  easily 
reconcileable  with  what  he  says  in  one  of  his  letters  to 
Woodfall.  "  The  truth  is,  that  there  arc  people 
"  about  me  whom  I  would  wish  not  to  contradict,  and 
"  who  hud  rather  see  Junius  in  the  papers  ever  so  im- 


JOHN   IIORNE   TOOKE.  37 

«'  properly,  than  not  at  all."  This  sounds  like  the 
language  of  a  partisan,  who  felt  both  his  talents  and 
his  chains ;  and  it  may  be  thought  a  confirmation, 
though  shght,  of  the  reminiscent' s  hypothesis. 

Another  and  very  powerful  objection  is  found  in  the 
limited  means,  and  subordinate  situation  of  Sir  Philip 
Francis,  at  the  time  of  the  publication  of  the  letters. 
In  his  private  correspondence  with  Woodfall,  Junius 
describes  himself  as  a  man  of  fortune,  of  ample  means 
to  indemnify  his  publisher  for  all  pecuniary  damage  and 
loss,  constantly  proffering  assistance,  and  refusing  any 
participation  in  the  profits  of  his  work.  When  the  first 
edition  was  upon  the  point  of  publication,  Woodfall 
urged  him  either  to  receive  half  the  profits,  or  to  point 
out  some  institution  to  whom  it  might  be  presented. 
His  reply  is  contained  in  a  private  letter  to  Woodfall 
in  these  words  : — "  What  you  say  about  the  profits  is 
"  very  handsome.  I  like  to  deal  with  such  men.  As 
"for  myself,  be  assured,  that  'i  am  above  all  pecuniary 
"  views,''  and  no  other  person  1  think  has  any  claim  to 
"share  with  you.  Make  the  most  of  it  therefore,  and 
"  let  your  views  in  life  be  directed  to  a  solid,  however 
"  moderate  independence  :  without  it,  no  man  can  be 
"  happy  or  even  honest."  Again  he  writes,  "  For  the 
"  matter  of  assistance,  be  assured,  that  if  a  question 


38  MEMOIRS   OF 

"  should  arise  upon  any  writings  of  mine,  you  shall 
"  never  want  it.  In  point  of  money  be  assured  you  shall 
"  never  suffer."  When  the  printer  was  prosecuted  he 
writes  in  this  manner.  "  If  your  affair  should  come 
"  to  trial,  and  you  should  be  found  guilty,  you  will 
"  then  let  me  know  what  expense  falls  particularly  on 
«*  yourself,  for  I  understand  you  are  engaged  with 
"  other  proprietors ;  some  way  or  other,  you  shall  be 
"  reimbursed." 

In  his  public  letters  he  maintained  the  same  idea,  hint- 
ing at  his  own  rank  and  importance.  *'  I  should  have 
**  hoped  that  even  my  name  might  carry  some  authority 
*'  with  it."  And  again  to  Sir  William  Draper,  "You 
"  cannot  but  know,  that  the  republication  of  my  letters 
"  was  no  more  than  a  catch-penny  contrivance  of  a 
"  printer,  in  which  it  was  impossible  1  should  be  con- 
"  cerned." 

In  every  of  these  instances,  the  declarations  and 
expressions  are  made  unaffectedly,  and  without  the 
slightest  air  of  pretension. 

Now  it  so  happens  that  none  of  these  circumstances 
belong  in  any  sense  to  the  situation,  rank,  or  means  of 
Francis.    He  was  a  subordinate  clerk  in  the  War-officc, 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  39 

and  possessed  no  other  fortune  than  his  salary  of  <£400 
per  annum. 

Besides  the  inequality  of  talent,  and  the  want  of 
fortune,  the  advocates  of  Francis  have  a  formidable 
obstacle  to  encounter  in  his  want  of  leisure.  The 
letters  of  Junius  are  admitted  to  be  productions  of  great 
labor ;  and  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  the  writer 
could  collect  his  facts,  and  compose  so  much,  and 
with  such  difficulty,  with  another  occupation  and  a 
divided  attention.  "  Such  finished  forms  of  composi- 
tion," says  the  author  of  the  preliminary  essay  prefixed 
to  the  last  edition  of  Woodfall's  Junius,  "  bear  in 
"  themselves,  the  most  evident  marks  of  elaborate  fore- 
"  cast  and  revisal ;  and  the  author  rather  boasted  of 
*'  the  pains  he  had  bestowed  upon  them  than  attempted 
"to  cancel  his  labor."  Again,  in  a  subsequent  part; 
no  man  but  he  who  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of  our 
author's  style,  undertakes  to  examine  all  the  numbers 
of  the  Public  Advertiser  for  the  three  years  in  question, 
can  have  any  idea  of  the  immense  fatigue  and  trouble 
he  submitted  to.  Instead  of  wondering  that  he  should 
have  disappeared  at  the  distance  of  about  five  years,  we 
ought  much  rather  to  be  surprised  that  he  should  have 
persevered  through  half  this  period,  with  a  spirit  at 
once  so  indefatigable  and  invincible.     Junius  in  his 


40  MEMOIRS   OF 

private  letters,  complains  of  his  "  weariness,"  the 
"  slavery  of  writing^'''  The  habits  of  composition  of 
Sir  Philip  Francis  were  (in  the  given  account  by  his 
biographers  and  advocates,)  slow  and  difficult ;  so  far 
they  coincide  with  Junius.  But  he  held  a  station  of  con- 
fidence and  trust  in  an  important  and  laborious  office, 
requiring  his  constant  attendance  and  personal  labor. 
The  inquiry  then  naturally  arises — was  it  possible  for 
him  in  addition  to  his  official  duties,  and  with  his  habits 
of  composition,  to  have  maintained  so  long,  full  and 
perfect  a  correspondence  with  the  public — with  Wood- 
fall  in  private — with  Mr.  Wilkes  and  others  ?  The  essay 
above  referred  to,  goes  on  to  maintain,  that  in  the 
year  1769,  "  the  author  maintained  not  less  than  fifty- 
four  communications  with  Mr.  Woodfall  ;  that  not  a 
single  month  passed  without  one  or  more  acts  of  inter- 
course ;  that  some  of  them  had  not  less  than  seven,  and 
many  of  them  not  less  than  six ;  at  times  directed  to 
events  that  had  recurred  only  a  few  days  antecedently ; 
that  the  two  most  distant  communications  were  not 
more  than  three  weeks  a-part ;  that  several  of  them  were 
daily,  and  the  greater  part  of  them  not  more  than  a 
week  from  each  other."  Add  to  this  the  correspon- 
dence with  Wilkes,  and  the  public  letters,  and  it  will  be 
seen  at  once  that  Sir  Philip  Francis  could  not  have 
been  Junius. 


JOHN   nORNE   TOOKE.  41 

The  claims  of  Sir  Philip  are  further  supported, 
(and  indeed  this  is  the  chief  support)  by  the  circum- 
stance that,  without  family,  fortune,  or  interest  at  court; 
in  short,  without  any  claim  to  the  notice  of  the  admin- 
istration, he  was  suddenly  appointed  to  a  high  and 
lucrative  office  in  India,  sucli  as  a  nobleman  would  be 
proud  to  accept.  This,  say  his  advocates,  shows  that 
something  was  attached  to  Sir  Philip  Francis,  which 
made  the  purchase  of  him  at  that  time,  even  at  a  high 
price,  an  object  to  government.  Now,  at  the  critical 
moment,  when  he  was  promoted,  Junius  ceased  to 
write  ;  hence  they  conclude,  the  silence  of  Junius  was 
purchased  by  the  promotion  of  Sir  Philip. 

This  might  be  accounted  for  upon  Mr.  Butler's, 
hypothesis,  without  going  into  other  proof,  or  conclud- 
ing that  Sir  Philip  was  himself  Junius.  To  this  how- 
ever there  is  a  strong  objection,  which  goes  to  the 
entire  argument  in  favor  of  Sir  Philip  Francis,  either 
as  amanuensis  or  principal,  drawn  from  his  handwriting. 
It  is  admitted  by  all,  that  Junius  was  exposed  to  great 
danger  in  publishing  his  letters,  of  this  he  appears  con- 
stantly sensible,  anxiously  enjoining  upon  his  pub- 
lisher the  severest  caution,  and  declaring  his  convic- 
tion <'  that  he  should  not  survive  the  discovery  three 

6 


42  MEMOIRS    OF 

days.''  Now,  Mr.  Taylor's  unforced  admission  de- 
stroys Sir  Philip's  claims  from  this  argument.  "  Easy 
"  access,"  says  he,  "  to  his  writing  might  be  had  both 
"  in  the  War-office  and  the  Secretary  of  States'  office. 
"  During  the  fourteen  years  that  he  was  occupied  in 
"  those  departments,  it  must  have  met  the  eye  of  many 
"  persons  both  in  administration  and  out  of  power. 
"  Lord  Chatham  knew  it  well,  for  Sir  Philip  at  one 
"  time  acted  as  his  Secretary — Lord  Holland,  the  Earl 
"  of  Egremont,  the  Earl  of  Kinnoull,  Mr.  Calcraft,  and 
"many  others  were  no  strangers  to  it.  To  Lord  Bar- 
"  rington  the  character  was  familiar,  and  the  different 
"  clerks,  Bradshaw,  Chamier,  &ic.  might  have  recog- 
"  nized  it  in  spite  of  the  disguise." 

It  is  upon  other  grounds  then,  than  as  amanuensis  of 
Junius  that  the  promotion  of  Sir  Philip  must  be  ac- 
counted for ;  we  shall  copy  the  account  given  of  it  in 
the  authentic  memoirs  of  his  life,  quoted  so  often  by 
Mr.  Taylor,  to  which  we  shall  add  Sir  Philip's  own 
statement  given  in  the  House  of  Commons,  of  the  pat- 
rons of  his  early  life  ;  and  we  shall,  I  think,  discover  the 
reasons  why  he  characterized  the  attempt  to  identify 
him  with  Junius,  "  as  false  and  malignant."  We  shall 
find  that  his  only  friends  and  efficient  patrons,  before, 


JOHN    nORNE    TOOKE.  43 

during,  and  after  the  time  of  the  publication  of  the 
letters  of  Junius,  were  the  very  men  whom  Junius 
most  bitterly  and  unsparingly  attacks  and  abuses. 

"  In  1763  he  was  appointed  by  the  late  Lord  Mendip, 
then  Wellbore  Ellis,  Esq.,  Secretary  of  War,  to  a  con- 
siderable post  in  the  War-office,  which  he  resigned  in 
1772,  in  consequence  of  a  difference  with  Viscount 
Barringtion,  by  whom  he  thought  himself  injured. 
Possibly  Lord  Barrington  thought  so  too,  or  that 
something  was  due  to  Mr.  Francis,  as  will  appear 
hereafter.  The  greatest  part  of  the  year  1772,  he 
spent  in  travelling.  In  about  a  half  year  after  his 
return  to  England,  Lord  Barrington  most  honorably 
and  generously  recommended  him  to  Lord  North,  by 
whom  his  name  was  inserted  in  an  Act  of  Parliament, 
passed  in  June  1773,  to  be  a  member  of  the  council 
appointed  for  the  government  of  Bengal,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Warren  Hastings,  Governor-general ;  John 
Clavering,  Commander-in-chief;  George  Monson,  and 
Richard  Barwell." — Memoirs. 

Of  equal  validity  is  what  fell  from  Sir  Philip  in  the 
course  of  a  speech  on  Lidia  affairs,  where  he  gave  a 
short  account  of  "  such  particulars  of  his  public  life  as 


44  MEMOIRS    OF 

led  to  his  appointment  to  India."     Mr.  Francis  observ- 
ed, "  that  he  had  been  brought  up  in  the  Secretary  of 
"  State's    office,  where  he   had  the  happiness  to  pos- 
"  sess  the  favor  of  the  late  Earl  of  Egremont,  then 
"Secretary  of  State.     That  in  1763,  Mr.   Ellis  had 
*'  appointed  him  to  fill  a  station  of  great  trust  in  the 
"  War-office.     That  Lord  Barrington  who  succeeded 
*'  Mr.  Ellis,  had  recommended  him  to  a  noble  lord, 
"  as  a  fit  person  to  be  sent  out  to  India,  as  a  member 
"  of  the  government  of  Bengal.     Till  that  recommen- 
"  dation  he  had  not  the  honor  of  being  known  to  Lord 
*'  North.     He  had,  therefore,   obtained  a  seat  in  the 
"  council  at  Calcutta,  not  through  any  private  interest 
"  or  intrigue  ;  but  he  was  taken  up  upon  recommenda- 
"  tion,    and  that   the   recommendation   of   persons   of 
*'  high  rank ;  those  who  best  knew  his  character  and 
"  qualifications,   and  who  certainly  would  not  have  so 
"  far  disgraced  themselves  as  to  have  recommended 
<'  an  improper  person,  knowing  him  to  be  such,  to  go 
"  out  to  India  in  a  station  of  so  much  power  and  im- 
"  portance.     He  had  accordingly  been  nominated  with 
"  General  Clavering  and  Colonel  Monson,  in  the  bill 
"of  1773."     On  another  occasion.   Sir   Philip  says, 
"  In  the  early  part  of  my  life  I  had  the  good  fortune 
"  to  hold  a  place  very  inconsiderable  in  itself,  but  ini- 


JOHN   IIORNE   TOOKE.  45 

<«  mediately  under  the  late  Earl  of  Chatham.  He 
*'  descended  from  his  station  to  take  notice  of  mine, 
"  and  he  honored  me  with  repeated  marks  of  his 
*'  favor  and  protection.  How  warmly  in  return  I  was 
"  attached  to  his  person,  and  how  I  have  been  grateful 
"  to  his  memory — they  who  know  me  know  *****.  In 
"the  year  1760,  Mr.  Secretary  Pitt  recommended  it 
"  to  the  late  King,  to  send  the  present  Earl  of  Kin- 
"  noull.  Ambassador  Extraordinary  and  Plenipoten- 
"  tiary  to  Lisbon.  The  same  recommendation  engaged 
"  the  noble  lord  to  appoint  me  his  Secretary." 

Mr.  Butler,  in  note,  page  81,  of  his  reminiscences, 
says  : — "  The  reminiscent  has  been  informed  by  the 
''  present  Bishop  of  Durham,  that  Sir  Philip  owed 
"  his  continuance  of  his  seat  in  the  War-office,  to 
"  the  kindness  of  Lord  Barrington,  the  prelate's 
"  brother ;  and  that  Sir  Philip's  appointment  to  India 
"  was  chiefly,  if  not  wholly  due  to  his  lordship's  re- 
*'  commendation  of  him  to  Lord  North." 

In  these  extracts  and  avowels,  we  have  distinctly 
traced  the  progress  of  Sir  Philip  Francis  in  the  con- 
fidence of  several  of  the  most  influential  men  of  the 
the  day ; — Lord  Chatham,  the  Earl  of  Egremont,  the 


46  MEMOIRS  OF 

Earl  of  Kinnoull,  Mr.  Ellis,  (afterwards  Lord  Mendip) 
and  Viscount  Barrington,  (for  we  can  scarcely  consider 
the  temporary  dispute  with  his  lordship  as  of  any  impro- 
tance,  it  being  so  speedily  reconciled  and  followed  by 
such  evidence  of  increased  favor  on  the  part  of  the  Vis- 
count.) The  promotion  received  by  Sir  Phihp  may  there- 
fore be  fairly  considered  as  a  high,  perhaps  too  high  a 
reward  for  diligent  services  in  inferior  departments,  as 
a  boon  bestowed  by  partial  friendship  ;  but  worthily 
bestowed  as  his  honorable  and  diligent  discharge  of 
embarassing  duties,  as  his  distinguished  talents  and 
patroitism  have  since  fully  shown.  It  does  not  appear 
that  at  the  time  of  the  appointment  of  Sir  Philip,  any 
such  extraordinary  excitement  was  produced,  as  is 
always  the  case,  when  an  obscure  man  is  promoted 
above  his  deserts,  and  without  ostensible  cause.  Even 
the  most  acute,  (and  when  personal  resentments  mingle 
with  party  feeling,  even  dullness  can  overcome  a  con- 
siderable degree  of  selfish  acuteness,)  did  not  from  the 
appointment  prove  the  connection  of  Sir  Philip  Francis 
with  the  "  audacious  libeller,"  or  seek  to  account 
for  the  singularity  of  a  clerk  in  the  War-office  obtaining 
so  high  an  office  ;  by  supposing  a  singularity  even  more 
remote  from  probability,  and  approaching  the  impos- 
sible, that  that  clerk. must  have  been  Junius.      But 


JOHN   HORNE  TOOKE.  47 

there  is  a  more  solemn  argument  arising  upon  these 
facts  which  appears   to   the  moral  feeling  of  all  the 
advocates  of  Sir  Philip.     The  successful  attempt  to 
identify  him  with  Junius  would  be  followed  by  the  total 
sacrifice  of  his  public  and  private  character  ;  and  this 
is  .why  he  adds  to  its  description  of  "  false,"  the  epithet 
"  malignant."     Most  of  the  persons  above  mentioned 
as   the  patrons  of  Sir  Philip,   and  so  acknowledged 
with  gratitude  by  himself  on  several  occasions,  were, 
during  the  very  time  that  Sir  Philip  was  receiving  their 
favors,  the  objects  of  the  most  unmeasured  and  rancor- 
ous abuse  of  Junius.     A  paper  written  under  another 
signature,   but  avowedly  written  by  Junius,  employs 
nearly  the   same  terms  of  indignation  towards  Lord 
Chatham,  which  were  afterwards  so  vehemently  applied 
to   the   Duke   of  Grafton.     "  The  memoirs  of  Lord 
Harrington"  are  an   evidence  of  his  unmitigated,  and 
evidently  personal  hatred  and  contempt  of  that  noble- 
man.    Towards  Mr.  Ellis,  who  seems  to  have  been  the 
steady  friend  and  patron  of  Sir  Philip,  and  highly  in- 
strumental in  every  step  of  his  advancement,  the  langu- 
age of  Junius  is  uniformly  contemptuous  in  the  highest 
degree.    "  The  Gui  Faux  of  the  fable  Wellbore  Ellis.'' 
"  Little  Mannikin  ElUs."     "  The  most  contemptible 
little  piece  of  machinery  in  tlie  whole  kingdom." — 


48  MEMOIRS   OF,  &C. 

"  Poor  man."  Is  this  the  language  of  a  dependant, 
applied  to  a  powerful  and  disinterested  friend  ?  If  so, 
it  is  the  language  of  one  destitute  of  every  feeling  of 
gratitude  and  honor,  and  sense  of  the  common  decen- 
cies of  life  ;  I  acquit  Sir  Philip  Francis  of  the  baseness, 
and  have  not  "the  malignity"  to  charge  him  with  the 
authorship  of  Junius. 

There  are  many  minor  arguments  against  his  claims, 
in  addition  to  the  above  ;  but  they  constitute  to  my 
mind,  abundant  and  convincing  proof  of  what  I  may 
properly  term  the  innocence  of  Sir  Philip  Francis* 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  claims  of  Sir  Philip  Francis,  which  have  been 
thus  briefly,  but  I  think  conclusively  discussed,  are  the 
strongest  which  have  ever  been   heretofore   advanced 
in  favor  of  any  candidate.     But  the  arguments  I  have 
urged  in  the    last   chapter,  appear  to  me    to   be   so 
strong  against  his  claims,  as  in  the  judgment  even  of 
his  advocates,    to  neutralize  at  least  the  arguments  in 
his  favor.     And  being  confirmed   by  the  opinions  of 
such  men  as  Mr.  Butler  and  Dr.  Parr,  who  have  exa- 
mined the  subject,  and  are  so  well  qualified  to  decide 
upon  that  examination,    I  venture  to  pronounce  hira 
not  Junius.      The  preliminary  essay  which   has  been 
alluded  to,  has  treated  of  all  the  proofs  which  have  at 
several  times  been  brought  forward,  for  the  substan- 
tiating of  difierent  claims,   and  summarily  disposed  of 
them  all.     The  pretensions  of  Lloyd,  Roberts,  Dyer, 
Rosenhagen,    Boyd   and  Wilkes,    are  examined,   and 
refuted   decisively.      Burke,  Flood,   Hamilton,    Lord 
Sackville,     General    Charles    Lee,   Dunning,    (Lord 

7 


50  MEMOIRS   OF 

Ashburton,)  are  severally  mentioned,  and  their  pre- 
tensions disproved. 

We  shall  insert,  in  his  own  words,  the  summary  view 
which  the  able  writer  of  that  essay  takes  of  the  charac- 
ter which  he  has  been  enabled  to  assign  to  Junius, 
from  an  attentive  perusal  of  his  letters,  public  and 
private,  and  the  admissions  therein  contained.  We 
shall  then  endeavor  to  show  how  closely  the  mind, 
character  and  circumstances  of  John  Horne  Tooke, 
correspond  with  all  we  know  of  Junius.  "From  the 
observations  contained  in  this  essay,  it  should  seem  to 
follow,  unquestionably,  that  the  author  of  the  letters 
of  Junius  was  an  Englishman  of  highly  cultivated 
education  ;  deeply  versed  in  the  language,  the  laws, 
the  constitution,  and  history  of  his  native  country  ; 
hat  he  was  a  man  of  easy,  if  not  affluent  circumstan- 
ces, of  unsullied  honor  and  generosity,  who  had  it 
equally  in  his  heart  and  in  his  power  to  contribute  to 
the  necessities  of  those  who  were  exposed  to  troubles 
of  any  kind,  upon  his  own  account ;  that  he  was  in 
habits  of  confidential  intercourse,  if  not  with  diflerent 
members  of  the  cabinet,  with  politicians  who  were 
most  intimately  familiar  with  the  court,  and  intrusted 
with  all  its  secrets ;  that  he  had  attained  an  age 
which  would  allow  him,  ^vithout  vanity,  to  boast  of  an 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  51 

ample  knowledge  and  experience  of  the  world ;  that 
durmg  the  years  1767,  68,  69,  70,  71,  and  part  of  72, 
he  resided  almost  constantly  in  London,  or  its  vicinity, 
devoting  a  very  large  portion  of  his  time  to  political 
concerns,  and  publishing  his  political  lucubrations, 
under  different  signatures,  in  the  Public  Advertiser. 
That,  in  his  natural  temper,  he  was  quick,  irritable 
and  impetuous,  subject  to  political  prejudices,  and 
strong  personal  animosities,  but  of  a  high  independent 
spirit,  honestly  attached  to  the  principles  of  the  consti- 
tution, and  fearless  and  indefatigable  in  maintaining 
them  ;  that  he  was  strict  in  his  moral  conduct,  and 
in  his  attention  to  public  decorum,  an  avowed  member 
of  the  established  church — and,  though  acquainted 
with  English  judicature,  not  a  lawyer  by  profession." 

To  pursue  this  inquiry  with  the  attention  it  deserves, 
it  will  be  first  of  all  necessary  to  examine  how  far  the 
life,  character,  and  opinions  of  Horne  Tooke  qualify 
him  for  being  considered  the  writer  of  Junius.  For 
this  purpose  the  following  brief  memoir  of  his  life  has 
been  compiled  from  several  biographical  sketches  : — 

John  Horne,  afterwards  known  as  John  Horne 
Tooke,  was  the  son  of  a  Mr.  Horne,-  Poulterer,  in 
Newport-street,    Westminster,  and  was  born  on    the 


52i  MEMOIRS    OF 

26th  of  June,  1736.  His  father  attained  considerable 
opulence,  and  became  well  known  as  Treasurer  of  the 
Middlesex  Hospital.  John  Horne  enjoyed  the  best 
advantages  that  his  native  city  could  afford,  having 
been  sent  to  Westminster  at  an  early  age.  It  was  soon 
remarked  that  Horne  possessed  considerable  talents 
and  application  ;  but  these  were  only  exerted  on  ex- 
traordinary occasions,  for  at  other  times  he  was  rather 
indolent,  and  so  chary  indeed  was  he  of  his  abilities 
and  his  industry,  that  he  was  often  accustomed  to  em- 
ploy lads  of  an  inferior  capacity  to  perform  his  tasks 
for  him.  Mr.  Horne,  at  the  usual  age,  removed  to 
Eaton,  and  soon  distinguished  himself  among  his  con- 
temporaries by  the  shrewdness  of  his  remarks,  the 
keenness  of  his  wit,  and  the  severity  of  his  satire — 
satire  never  exerted  but  against  what  either  was  or  ap- 
peared to  him  to  be  an  abuse.  From  this  celebrated 
school,  the  cradle  of  so  many  men  of  worth  and  talent, 
he  was  sent  to  Cambridge,  and  entered  of  St.  John's 
College,  in  1754.  Here  he  took  his  degree  of  A.  B., 
and  afterwards  ofliciated  as  an  usher  in  a  boarding- 
school  at  Blackiieath.  In  the  choice  of  a  profession, 
that  of  the  law  seems  to  have  been  the  object  of  Mr. 
Horne's  partiality.  But  his  family,  who  had  never 
sanctioned  his  attachment  to  legal  studies,  deemed  the 
church  far  more  legible  as  a  profession,  and  he  was 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  63 

obliged  to  yield  to  the  admonitions  and  entreaties  of 
his  parents.  It  seems,  however,  that  a  compromise 
took  place,  and  an  assurance  was  given  him  of  a  per- 
manent provision  in  case  he  abandoned  the  law.  Ac- 
cordingly in  1 760,  he  was  admitted  a  Priest  of  the 
Church  of  England,  by  John  Thomas,  Bishop  of  Sa- 
rum  ;  having  previously  received  Deacons  orders,  and 
officiated  as  curate  in  Kent.  Upon  this  he  was  in- 
ducted into  the  living  of  Brentford,  purchased  for 
him  by  his  father.  Here  he  officiated  for  some  time, 
but  in  1763,  we  find  him  travelling  on  the  Continent  as 
tutor  to  Mr.  Elwes,  son  of  the  celebrated  miser  of  that 
name.  Towards  the  end  of  the  year  1764,  the  tutor, 
who  was  delighted  with  this  tour,  returned  with  his 
pupil  to  England ;  and  had  he  been  heartily  attached 
to  his  profession,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  he 
might  have  enjoyed  a  fair  share  of  its  advantages. 
While  a  boy,  he  had  been  introduced  at  Leicester 
House,  by  means  of  Dr.  De  Mainbray,  who  was  still 
caressed  by  the  young  monarch,  and  Avas  accustomed 
to  play  with  his  majesty,  (George  HI.)  who  was  ex- 
actly two  years  younger  than  himself,  once  or  twice  a- 
week.  He  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  Mr.  Elwes,  who 
possessed  considerable  influence ;  and  he  was  also  pat- 
ronized by  Mr.  Levinty,  the  Receiver-general  of  the 
Customs.     By  the  kind  intervention  of  the  latter,  appa- 


54  MEMOIRS  OF 

rently  exerted  through  the  channel  of  a  nobleman  in 
high  favor  at  court,  he  was  promised  to  be  appointed 
one  of  the  King's  Chaplains;  and  had  a  prospect  of 
such  other  preferment  as  was  sufficient  to  satisfy  his 
wishes.  In  fine,  a  man  so  gifted  and  so  favored, 
might  have  aspired  to  all  the  honors  of  his  profession  ; 
and  if  he  had  not  reposed,  like  his  friend  Dr.  Beadon, 
beneath  the  shadow  of  a  cathedral,  or  erected  his  mitr- 
ed front  in  company  with  the  Horsleys  and  Douglases, 
and  the  Watsons  of  his  day ;  yet,  like  Paley^  and 
many  other  of  the  inferior  dignitaries  of  the  church,  he 
might  have  enjoyed  wealth,  respect,  and  that  learned 
ease  so  dear  to  a  man  of  letters. 

But  we  shall  soon  discover  that  these  flattering  and 
seductive  prospects  did  not  prove  sufficient  to  coun- 
teract certain  impressions,  which  had  been  indelibly 
engraved  on  a  mind,  at  once  bold  and  original ; 
avaricious  of  fame,  and  disdainful  alike  of  riches  and 
preferment,  when  these  appeared  to  be  in  opposition 
to  his  principles. 

Matters  were  in  this  train,  when  un^pected  events 
of  a  public  nature  occurred,  and  the  part  which  Mr. 
HoRNE  took  in  them,  destroyed  all  his  prospects  of 
preferment. 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  55 

These  events  are  found  to  have  originated  in  the 
illegal  imprisonment  of  the  celebrated  John  Wilkes. 
This  gentleman,  who  had  commenced  his  career  as  a 
partisan  of  Mr  Pitt,  then  ex-minister,  had  been  treated 
with  a  degree  of  rancor  unsactioned  by  sound  policy, 
and  a  rigor  unjustified  by  the  laws.  This  arbitrary 
arrest  and  imprisonment  when  member  for  Aylsbury, 
by  a  general  warrant  afterwards  declared  to  be  illegal, 
called  forth  the  energies  and  jealousy  of  the  whole 
nation.  Arrested  and  sent  to  the  tower  by  an  illegal 
process,  the  sympathy  of  the  nation  was  aroused  in 
his  behalf,  and  he  was  soon  after  liberated,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  solemn  decision  of  a  court  of  law,  amidst 
the  acclamations  of  the  people.  As  the  rights  of  all 
were  supposed  to  have  been  violated,  so  the  franchises 
of  the  whole  body  of  the  nation  were  soon  after  said  to 
be  grossly  infringed  in  his  person ;  and  the  unceasing 
enmity  of  the  ministers  of  that  day  never  abated  for  a 
single  moment,  until,  by  a  long  series  of  persecution, 
Wilkes  became  the  most  popular  man  in  the  kingdom. 

This  conduct,  which  savoured  of  imbecility  and  in- 
justice, was  ascribed  by  some  to  treachery.     The  most 
sinistrous  intentions  were  attributed  to  those  in  power ; 
and  suppositions  were  entertained  by  many  of  a  settled 
design  to  enslave  the  people. 


56  MEMOIRS  OP 

Even  the  prince  himself,  who,  by  a  wise  policy,  is 
sheltered  from  all  personal  responsibility,  did  not 
escape  animadversion,  and  was  no  longer  saluted  by 
those  loyal  gratulations  with  which  he  had  been  re- 
cently hailed. 

Such  was  the  situation  of  public  afiairs,  and  so 
feverish  and  irritable  the  minds  of  the  nation,  when 
the  subject  of  this  essay  first  appeared  on  the  scene. 
Bold,  ardent,  enthusiastic,  he  suspected  that  a  regular 
plot  was  actually  formed  for  its  destruction,  and  al- 
ready anticipated  the  time,  when,  like  Denmark, 
about  a  century  before,  and  Sweden,  at  a  subsequent 
period,  the  liberties  of  Great  Britain  were  to  be  laid 
prostrate  at  the  feet  of  a  young,  artful,  and  ambitious 
monarch. 

This  suspicion,  however  strange  and  unaccountable 
it  may  appear  to  some,  he  cherished  until  the  day  of 
his  death  ;  and  this  ought  to  be  considered  as  one  of 
the  SECRET,  but  powerful  springs,  by  which  all  the 
actions  of  his  future  life  were  actuated. 

It  will,  therefore,  appear  less  surprising,  perhaps, 
that  a  man,  who  considered  every  infringement  of  the 
British  constitution  as  a  sacrilege,  should,  on  such  an 


JOHN    HORNE    TOOKE.  57 

occasion,  be  ready  to  dash  the  untasted  cup  of  prefer- 
ment from  his  lips,  and  begin  his  career,  by  oliering 
up  the  greatest  of  all  sacrifices,  at  the  altar  of  public 
freedom.  From  this  moment,  therefore,  he  devoted 
himself  to  what  he  considered  the  public  cause;  and 
laying  aside  all  thoughts  of  ecclesiastic  preferment,  he 
seemed  to  have  determined  early  in  life,  either  to  vin- 
dicate the  liberties  of  his  country,  or  suffer  as  a  martyr 
in  their  defence. 

Mr.  HoRNE,  after  this  occurrence  above  alluded  to 
took  place,  went  abroad,  having  been  invited  by  Mr. 
Taylor  to  accompany  his  son  during  an  excursion 
into  Italy,  in  1765.  The  active  part  he  had  taken  in 
behalf  of  the  opposition  then  under  the  leading  of  Mr. 
Pitt,  had  closed  against  him  all  the  avenues  of  church 
preferment,  and  the  direct  interference  of  some  of  the 
most  powerful  men  of  the  ministerial  side,  had  put  a 
perpetual  seal  upon  his  exclusion. 

When  Mr.  Wilkes  returned  from  France,  and  being 
foiled  in  his  attempt  to  represent  the  city  of  London, 
canvassed  for  Middlesex,  in  1768;  Mr.  HoRNE 
opened  houses  for  him  at  Brentford,  at  his  own  risk, 
and  supported  his  interest  so  actively,  as  hnally  to 

8 


58  MEMOIRS    OF 

enable  him  to  be  returned  to  parliament  as  one  of 
the  Knights  of  the  Shire  for  Middlesex.  It  was  he 
who  infused  a  portion  of  his  own  spirit  and  ability 
into  the  committees  for  managing  the  contest ;  it  was 
he  who  sometimes  in  company  with  the  popular  can- 
didate, and  sometimes  by  himself,  addressed  large 
bodies  of  the  electors,  who  had  been  collected  in  dif- 
ferent places  for  that  purpose.  In  short,  in  opposition 
to  calculation,  and,  as  if  to  set  experience  and  pre- 
cedent at  defiance,  Mr.  Wilkes,  whose  fortune  was 
desperate,  and  whose  person  was  liable  every  moment 
to  be  seized  by  a  tipstafi',  proved  finally  successful. 
In  consequence  of  a  generous  burst  of  indignation, 
excited  by  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England, 
whose  whole  income  arose  out  of  a  small  benefice,  the 
latter  tlms  suddenly,  as  if  by  magic,  found  means  to 
return  an  outlaw,  as  Knight  of  the  Shire  for  the  county 
of  IVIiddlesex,  by  the  votes  of  a  great  majority  of  free- 
holders. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Mr.  IIorne  obtained 
some  influence  in  the  town  of  Bedford,  and,  in  conse- 
quence of  this,  soon  became  an  elector.  The  Duke  of 
Bedford,  the  patron  of  that  corporation,  had  rendered 
himself  extremely  unpopular,   partly  by  having  nego- 


JOHN   IIORNE   TOOKE.  59 

elated  the  peace  of  Paris,  and  partly  by  a  political 
alliance  with  the  Duke  of  Grafton,  who  had  lately 
deserted  from  the  party  of  the  Earl  of  Chatham,  and 
erecting  his  own  standard,  became  prime  minister. 

By  way  of  retaliation  on  the   former,  it  was  deter- 
mined to  attack  him  in  what  was  deemed  a  vital  part. 
Accordingly,   on   discovering  that  he   was   extremely 
obnoxious  in  his  own  borough,    a  successful  attempt 
was  made   to   liberate   it  from  his  influence.     In  this 
political  struggle,   the  subject  of  the   present   memoir 
most  heartily  concurred ;  and,  as  he  never  did  any  thing 
by  halves,  became  one  of  the  most  active  of  the  in- 
surgents.     The    contest  took   place    September   4th, 
1769,   on   the  election   of  mayor   and   baihffs.      The 
Duke,  who  was  present,  finding  himself  unable  to  pre- 
vail in  his  wish,  (not  to  add  to  the  number  of  freemen) 
requested  of  the  corporation  to  nominate  twenty  of  his 
own  friends.     When  the  names  of  those  on  the  popular 
side  were  read,  he  restrained  his  indignation,  until  that 
of  "  John  Horne"  was  pronounced,  when  his  grace 
was  pleased  to  express  himself  with  great  bitterness. 
On  a  division,  this  candidate  was,  however,  elected  by 
a  majority  of  six,   there  being  seventeen  votes  in  his 
favor,  and  eleven  against  him. 


00  ME3I01RS    OF 

Junius,  with  his  accustomed  bitterness,  was  pleased 
on  tiiis  occasion,  to  denominate  the  nobleman  in  ques- 
tion, "  the  little  tyrant  of  a  little  corporation :"  and 
observed,  "  that,  to  make  his  late  defeat  more  ridicul- 
ous, he  had  tried  his  whole  strength  against  Mr. 
HoRNE,  and  was  beaten  on  his  own  ground." 

Soon  after  this  we  find  Mr.  Horne  engaged  in  an 
unpleasant  dispute  with  Mr.  Onslow.  That  gentle- 
man, while  in  opposition,  had  proved  a  warm  and 
strenuous  supporter  of  Mr.  Wilkes  :  but  having  been 
afterwards  admitted  into  favor  by  the  court,  he  obtain- 
ed an  office  under  the  Grafton  administration ;  and 
was  now,  as  usual,  both  considered  and  treated  as  a 
deserter  from  the  popular  cause. 

In  the  mean  time,  he  entered  into  a  controversy  of 
u  very  disagreeable  nature  with  that  gentleman  ;  in 
the  course  of  which,  a  charge  of  the  most  flagrant 
corruption  was  openly  made  by  the  one  party,  while 
it  was  repelled  by  the  other,  with  the  most  pointed 
disavowal.  This  produced  a  civil  action,  brought  by 
Mr.  Onslow,  against  Mr.  Horne,  whidi  was  tried 
before  Sir  WilHam  Blackstonc,  at  Kingston,  April  6th, 
1770.     The  damages  were  laid  at  i;  10,000.     At  this 


JOHN   IIORNE   TOOKE.  61 

trial  the  plaintiff  was  nonsuited.  Upon  a  motion  to 
set  aside  the  nonsuit,  a  new  trial  was  granted,  and, 
on  this  occasion,  the  Earl  of  Mansfield  presided. — 
He  was  accused  by  Mr.  HoRNE  of  charging  the  jury 
with  great  partiality,  and  hurrying  the  trial,  for  the 
purpose  of  packing  the  jury  by  taUsmen,  before  the 
special  jury  arrived.  The  jury  gave  a  verdict  for  the 
plaintiff',  with  X400  damages. 

Undaunted  at  the  result,  and  doubtless  rejoicing  at 
an  opportunity  of  contending  with,  and  perhaps  foiling 
this  learned  and  eloquent  judge,  with  his  own  weapons, 
Mr.  HoRNE  determined  to  appeal  to  a  superior  tribu- 
nal. Accordingly,  on  November  8th,  1770,  a  rule 
was  moved  for  in  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  to 
show  cause  why  the  second  verdict  should  not  be  set 
aside,  and  the  26th  of  the  same  month  was  the  day 
appointed  for  an  argument  on  the  question  before  the 
twelve  judges.  Mr.  Serjeant  Glynn,  on  this  occasion, 
restated  his  former  reasons,  with  his  usual  ability,  and 
insisted  that  the  last  jury  had  acted  not  only  under 
misdirection  on  the  part  of  the  judge,  but  that  the 
latter  had  delivered  a  charge  to  them  in  express 
violation  of  the  received  principles  of  law.  As  this 
was  deemed  a  point  of  great  importance,  to  prevent 


62  MEMOIRS    OF 

a  hasty  decision,  and  give  ample  time  for  deliberation, 
final  judgment  was  adjourned  until  next  term.  On 
the  recurrence  of  that  period,  the  judges,  in  April 
17th,  1771,  finally  and  unanimously  declared  in  favor 
of  the  defendant,  in  consequence  of  which  the  second 
verdict  was  set  aside. 

This,  of  course,  afibrded  no  small  exultation  to  Mr. 
HoRNE,  who  had  directed  and  superintended  the  pro- 
ceedings ;  as  he  had  thus  publicly  proved,  in  the  face 
of  the  whole  nation,  that  the  Lord  Chief  Justice, 
great  and  able  as  he  assuredly  was,  could  not  now 
be  considered  as  infalhble  ;  and  from  this  day  forward, 
he  took  every  opportunity  to  arraign  the  conduct, 
underrate  the  talents,  and  oppose  the  opinions  of  that 
celebrated  man. 

Meanwhile  the  ministers  still  remained  unpopular, 
and  the  county  of  Middlesex,  which  was  deprived  of 
the  services  of  its  favorite  representative,  was  eager,  on 
all  occasions,  to  attack  their  principles  and  impeach 
their  conduct.  On  turning  to  the  proceedings  of  this 
period,  it  will  be  found  that  the  vicar  of  New-Brent- 
ford was  not  idle.  Incited  by  his  usual  enthusiasm,  he. 
not  only  acted  a  conspicuous  part  on  every  public  oc- 


JOHN   IIORNE  TOOKE.  63 

casion,  but  for  a  time  exercised  a  kind  of  paramount 
jurisdiction  over  all  the  political  proceedings  of  that 
day.      It  was  by  his  instigation  that  Mr.   Beckford, 
Lord  Mayor,   in  1770,    made   a  verbal  reply  to  his 
majesty's  answer  to  a  remonstrance  from  the  city  of 
London  ;  and,  that  he  drew  up  that  reply  as  inscribed 
on  the  pedestal  of  Mr,  Beckford' s  statute  in  Guildhall. 
He   is   regarded  also,  as  the  principal  founder  of  the 
"  society  for  supporting  the  Bill  of  Rights,"  of  which 
he  was  an  active  member,  and  by  his  exertions,  Bingley, 
a  printer,  who  had  been  committed  to  prison  by  Lord 
Mansfield,  for  refusing  to  appear  for  the  purpose  of  an- 
swering to  interrogatories,  was  at  length  liberated.     In 
thrt  years  1770  and  1771,  a  quarrel  took  place  between 
Wilkes  and  HoRNE,  without  incurring  any  just  charge 
against  his   political  integrity.     "I  found  you,"  says 
he,  in  a  letter  addressed  to  Mr.  Wilkes  in  1771,  after 
that  gentleman  had  treated  him  with  no  common  degree 
of  ingratitude,  "in  the  most  helpless  state — an  outlaw; 
plunged  in  the  deepest  distress ;  overwhelmed  with  debt 
and  disgrace ;  forsaken  by  all  your  friends,  and  shun- 
ned by  every  thing  that  called  itself  a  gentleman ;  at  a 
time  when  every  honest  man,  who  could  distinguish  be- 
tween you  and  your  cause,  and  who  feared  no  danger, 
yet  feared  the  ridicule  attending  a  probable  defeat" 


64  MEMOIRS   OF 

"  Happily  we  succeeded,  and  I  leave  you  by  repeats 
ed  elections,  the  legal  representative  of  Middlesex,  an 
Alderman  of  London,  and  about  ^£30,000  richer  than 
when  I  first  knew  you :  myself  by  many  degrees  poorer 
than  I  was  before  ;  and  I  pretend  to  have  been  a 
little  instrumental  in  all  these  changes  of  your  situa- 
tion." 

At  the  period,  and  upon  the  occasion  of  this  rupture, 
the  celebrated  controversy  between  John  Horne  and 
Junius  took  place,  of  which  we  shall  have  much  to  ^ay 
hereafter. 

« 

In  1771,  he  took  his  degree  of  A.  M.,  although  op- 
posed by  some  members,  among  whom  were  Mr.  Paley 
and  Mr.  Bromley,  afterwards  Lord  Mumford.  It  was 
to  his  exertions  that  the  liberty  of  the  press  was  vindi- 
cated in  the  persons  of  the  printers  who  published  the 
debates  of  the  House  of  Conmions,  and  the  Ireedom  of 
publication  has  been  continued  ever  since. 

In  1773,  he  threw  ofi'  his  clerical  garb,  and  propos- 
ed to  resume  his  legal  studies  with  a  view  to  the  pro- 
fession. But  at  this  time  an  incident  occurred  which 
was  of  material  importance,  with  respect  to  his  future 


JOHN    HORNE   TOOKE.  65 

fortune.  Mr.  Tooke,  of  Purley,  in  Surrey,  had  inef- 
fectually opposed  an  inclosure  bill,  which  was  likely 
to  be  detrimental  to  his  estate,  and  as  this  bill  was 
passing  rapidly  through  the  Commons,  he  applied  to 
HoRNE  for  advice.  The  following  are  the  circum- 
stances of  the  case  : — 

Mr.  Wm.  Tooke,  a  man  of  considerable  fortune,  with 
whom  Mr.  H.  had  been  long  intimate,  and  who,  dur- 
ing his  controversy  with  Mr.  Wilkes,  had  borne  pub- 
lic testimony  to  his  honor  and  integrity,  had  purchased 
the  estate   of  Purley,  situate   near   Godstone,   in  the 
county  of  Surrey.     This  circumstance  had  given  birth 
to  many  disputes  with  Mr.  De  Grey,  a  neighbouring 
gentleman  of  great  influence,  whose  lands  adjoined  his, 
and  who,    as  lord  of  the  manor,   claimed  a  paramount 
jurisdiction  over  certain  parts  of  his  newly   acquired 
property.     They  had  contended,  in  the  courts  of  law, 
about  fish-ponds  and  common  rights ;  and  an  attempt 
was  now  made,   by  means  of  an  act  of  parliament,  to 
settle  the  dispute  forever.    Accordingly,  on  Tuesday  the 
10th  of  February,  1774,  a  bill  was  brought  in  by  Sir 
Edward  Astley,  to  enable  Thomas  De  Grey,  Esq.,  to 
inclose  several  common  lands  and  fields   in  the  coun- 
ties of  ^Norfolk   and  Surrey.       Mr.    Alderman    Saw- 

9 


66  MEMOIRS   OB 

bridge  immediately  presented  a  petition  from  Wm, 
Tooke,  Esq.,  requesting  delay,  on  the  ground  that  the 
usual  notice  had  not  been  given  to  the  inhabitants,  and 
that  the  inclosures  in  question,  so  far  as  regarded  the 
county  of  Surrey,  would  prove  highly  prejudicial  both 
to  them  and  himself  It  was  also  added,  that,  to  pass 
this  bill,  while  the  title  to  part  of  the  lands  was  still  in 
litigation,  would  be  indecent  and  unprecedented,  being 
highly  detrimental  to  the  interests  of  the  petitioner  and 
others.  This  request,  however,  was  not  complied 
with,  for  the  bill  was  ordered  to  be  read  again,  on  an 
early  day  ;  and  an  intention  was  plainly  evinced  of 
precipitating  it  through  its  various  stages. 

It  was  in  this  dilemma  that  Mr.  Tooke  applied  to 
Mr.  HoRNE,  and  earnestly  entreated  him  to  interpose. 
Mr.  H.  suggested  a  remedy,  which  was  to  commence 
with  a  libel  on  the  Speaker,  which  libel  he  would  un- 
dertake to  write.  Accordingly  he  stated  the  case, 
accompanying  the  statement  with  some  severe  reflec- 
tions, and  sent  it  to  the  Public  Advertiser.  When  the 
paragraph  was  on  the  next  day  reported  to  the  house 
and  read,  it  occasioned  great  irritation,  and  a  motion 
was  made  for  calling  the  printer  before  the  house.  Mr. 
HoRNE,  as  the  acknowledged  writer,  was  called  to  the 


JOHN   IIORNE   TOOKE.  67 

bar ;  he  immediately  obeyed  the  summons,  and  in  a 
respectful  manner  confessed,  that  through  hatred  to 
oppression,  and  zeal  to  serve  a  friend,  he  had  been 
urged  beyond  the  bounds  of  discretion.  After  a  long 
debate,  he  was  remanded  from  the  bar  in  custody  of 
the  Sergeant-at-arms,  and  upon  being  brought  up  some 
days  after,  he  was,  by  the  good  offices  of  some  friends, 
discharged  upon  paying  his  fees.  His  purpose  was 
however  answered — time  was  thus  given  for  reconsider- 
ing the  obnoxious  bill,  and  the  exceptionable  clauses 
were  either  altered  or  withdrawn. 

It  was  thus,  by  the  exercise  of  his  talents,  the  sacri- 
fice of  his  personal  liberty,  and  at  the  risk  of  the  utmost 
vengeance  which  a  House  of  Commons  could  inflict, 
that  the  subject  of  this  work  rendered  himself  eminently 
useful  to  Mr.  Tooke ;  and  that  gentleman,  not  content 
with  the  warmest  expressions  of  gratitude  and  esteem, 
appears  from  this  moment  to  have  singled  him  out  as 
the  heir  to  the  fortune,  which  he  had  preserved  entire 
by  his  skill  and  intrepidity. 

Mr.  HoRNE  now  retired  once  more  to  his  peaceful 
retreat,  in  the  vicinity  of  old  Brentford,  where  he  ap- 
plied himself  assiduously  to  the  study  of  the  law,  and 


68  5IEAI0IRS   OF 

had  already  qualified  himself  for  the  bar,  when  the 
rumour  of  an  approaching  contest  with  the  colonies 
discomposed  his  slumbers,  suspended  his  labors,  and, 
by  rendering  him  once  more  a  politician  and  a  patriot, 
finally  precluded  all  hopes  of  advancement  in  his  new 
career. 

Mr.  HoRNE  was  an  early  opponent  of  the  war  with 
America,  which,  at  that  period,  occupied  the  attention 
and  excited  the  alarms  of  the  kingdom,  and  has  the 
singular  fortune  to  be  the  only  man  of  any  note,  who 
was  punished  for  his  opposition,  by  the  laws.  When 
the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  arrived,  the  consti- 
tutional society  voted  j£lOO  to  the  widows  and  children 
of  the  Americans  who  had  fallen  in  it ;  and  the  resolu- 
tion to  this  purpose,  printed  in  the  public  papers,  was 
signed  by  John  Horne.  In  this  resolution,  the  suf- 
ferers were  denominated,  "  Englishmen  who  preferring 
death  to  slavery,  were  for  that  reason  only,  inhumanly 
murdered  by  the  King's  troops  at  Lexington."  For 
this  paragraph  he  was  prosecuted,  and  tried  at  Guild- 
hall, in  July  1777,  on  which  occasion  he  pleaded  his 
own  cause.  Notwithstanding  the  spirit  and  accuteness 
with  which  he  defended  himself,  he  was  sentenced  to 
twelve  months  imprisonment,  and  to  pay  a  fine  of  jC200. 


JOHN   HORNE    TOOKE.  69 

From  this  trial,  as  reported  by  Mr.  Gurney,  we  shall 
have  occasion  to  quote  in  the  progress  of  this  work. 

In  the  course  of  the  trial,  he  first  appeared  before  the 
public  as  a  grammatical  critic  ;  and  in  1778,  he  print- 
ed a  letter  to  Mr.  Dunning,  which  discussed  the  force 
and  meaning  of  certain  conjunctions  and  prepositions 
employed  in  his  indictment,  and  which  was  the  founda- 
tion of  a  large  work,  afterwards  published.  In  the 
following  year,  he  was  disappointed  in  his  expectation 
of  being  called  to  the  bar  ;  for  though  he  was  emi- 
nently quahfied  for  the  profession  to  which  he  as- 
pired, he  was  rejected  under  the  pretext  of  his  being 
still  a  clergyman. 

On  applying  for  a  call,  in  1779,  instead  of  granting 
this  request,  with  the  usual  facility,  the  benchers  affect- 
ed to  demur,  and  actually  withheld  their  assent  to  the 
name  of  "  John  Horne,"  at  the  same  time  permitting 
all  the  other  candidates  to  become  barristers  without  the 
least  objection.  On  being  desired  to  explain,  they 
expressed  their  doubt  as  to  the  eligibility  of  the  gen- 
tleman in  question.  They  could  not  urge  any  thing 
against  his  character,  for  it  was  respectable  ;  against 
his  station,  for  it  was  creditable  ;  against  his  education, 


70  MEMOIRS   or 

for  he  had  aspired  to,  and  obtained  the, honors  of  his 
college  ;  or  against  his  talents,  as  these  were  allowed 
to  be  eminent,  and  indeed  constituted  the  sole  disquali- 
fication. This  last  circumstance  is  said  to  have  created 
a  mean  jealousy  on  the  part  of  some  practising  lawyers, 
who  were  afraid  of  being  eclipsed  by  a  new  competitor: 
but  the  chief  opposition  sprung  from  another  quarter  ; 
his  politics  were  avowedly  unfriendly  to  those  in 
power,  and  he  had  already  successfully  opposed  certain 
principles  of  law,  as  laid  down  by  Lord  Chief  Justice 
Mansfield.  To  have  repaired  to  the  Court  of  King's 
Bench,  not  in  the  character  of  a  raw  and  unfledged 
counsel,  attending  for  his  turn  to  make  a  motion  of 
course  ;  but  as  an  adult,  and  able  practitioner,  descend- 
ing into  the  forum,  like  Minerva  from  the  head  of 
Jupiter,  armed  and  prepared  for  the  combat,  was  too 
much  to  be  borne  by  this  celebrated  and  able,  but 
timid  and  resentful  judge. 

This  Mr.  HoRNE  felt  as  a  very  grievous  disappoint- 
ment, and  with  a  mind  not  a  little  exasperated,  he  de- 
voted himself  to  politics.  Accordingly,  in  1780,  he 
published  a  pamphlet,  entitled,  *'  Facts,"  keenly  re- 
viewing Lord  North's  administration,  and  containing 
two  chapters  on  Finance,  supplied  by  Dr.  Price. 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  71 

Soon  after  the  termination  of  the  American  war, 
parliamentary  reform  became  a  popular  topic ;  and  in 
1782,  HoRNE  published  a  letter  to  Mr.  Dunning,  (af- 
terwards Lord  Ashburton,)  under  the  title  of  "  a  letter 
on  Parliamentary  Reform,  containing  the  sketch  of  a 
plan,"  of  which  we  shall  merely  say,  that  he  disapprov- 
ed of  universal  suffrage.  Mr.  Pitt  was  at  this  time  a 
fellow  advocate  in  the  same  cause.  HoRNE  now  avow- 
ed himself  the  friend  of  Mr.  Pitt,  in  opposition  to  Mr. 
Fox,  whose  coalition  with  Lord  North  he  very  much 
disapproved.  In  1786,  Mr.  HoRNE  having  assumed 
the  name  of  his  friend  Mr.  Tooke,  published  his  "  Epea 
Pteroenta,  or  Diversions  of  Purley,"  so  called  from  the 
country  residence  of  his  friend.  Of  this  work,  founded 
on  his  letter  to  Mr.  Dunning,  already  mentioned,  the 
most  prominent  subject  of  discussion  was  the  deriva- 
tion of  conjunctions  and  prepositions  from  verbs  and 
nouns,  whence  they  acquired  a  determinate  meaning-, 
often  different  from  that  which  has  been  arbitrarily 
imposed  upon  them.  This  work  attracted  the  notice 
of  philologists,  and  gave  to  the  author  a  high  rank 
among  writers  on  the  philosophy  of  language.  Poli- 
tics however  diverted  his  attention  from  subjects  of  this 
nature,  and  in  1788,  he  published  "  two  pair  of  por- 
traits," tlie  figures  in  which  were  the  two  Pitts  and  the 


72  MEMOIRS    OF 

two  Foxs,  of  the  past  and  present  generations.  The 
first  name  was  strongly  illuminated,  and  the  latter 
thrown  into  a  dark  shade.  He  might  probably,  how- 
ever, at  a  later  period,  here  adopted  a  different  mode 
of  colouring.  In  1790  he  opposed  Mr.  Fox  and  Lord 
Hood,  at  the  election  of  representatives  in  parliament 
for  Westminster ;  and  although  professing  himself  un- 
connected with  party,  and  determined  neither  to  open 
a  house  nor  to  give  away  a  single  cockade,  he  polled 
near  1700  votes,  without  solicitation  or  corruption. 
On  the  occasion  of  his  defeat,  he  presented  a  petition 
to  the  house,  in  support  of  which,  he  freely  indulged 
himself  in  very  bitter  sarcastic  invective. 

This  petition  was  voted  by  the  House  of  Commons, 
*'  frivolous  and  vexatious  ;''"'  for  which  reason  a  demand 
was  made  on  the  petitioner  for  certain  damages  which 
were  supposed  to  have  ensued,  in  consequence  of  his 
appeal  to  the  House  of  Commons.  This  matter  w  as  at 
length  referred  to  the  courts  below,  and  a  trial  of 
course  took  place  in  the  King's  Bench,  which  proved 
not  a  little  memorable  on  account  of  the  circumstances 
that  attended  it. 

Mr.  TooKE,  who  acted  on  this  as  on  other  occa- 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  73 

sions,  without  recurring  to  the  aid  of  counsel,  address- 
ed the  jury  in  a  long  and  able  speech,  in  which  he  en- 
deavoured to  impress  on  their  minds,  that  there  were 
only  three  efficient  and  necessary  parties  in  the  present 
cause :  Mr.  Fox,  the  plaintiff;  himself,  the  defendant ; 
and  themselves,  the  gentlemen  of  the  jury.  "  The 
judge  and  the  crier  of  the  court,"  added  he,  "  attend 
alike  in  their  respective  situations,  and  they  are  paid 
by  us  for  their  attendance — we  pay  them  well :  they 
are  hired  to  be  the  assistants  and  reporters,  but  they 
are  not,  and  they  were  never  intended  to  be,  the  con- 
trollers of  our  conduct."  This  was  not  a  trial,  he 
observed,  between  Mr.  Fox  and  him,  about  the  trifling 
sum  of  two  hundred  pounds  :  that  was  by  no  means 
the  ultimate  object :  a  great  and  important  national 
right  was  at  stake  :  the  last  and  only  security  which 
the  full  grown  corruption  and  iniquity  of  the  times 
had  left  1o  the  people  of  the  land  for  their  lives,  their 
liberties,  and  their  fortunes  ;  this  last  and  only  security, 
"  a  real  trial  by  a  jury  of  our  countrymen,  is  now 
attempted  to  be  wrested  from  us." 

♦ 

After  entering  into  a  variety  of  curious  and  Interest- 
ing details  relative  to  the  two  prevailing  parties  of  the 
day,  which  a  change  of  circumstances  and  of  times 

10 


74  MEMOIRS    OF 

precludes  the  necessity  of  dwelling  on.  Mr.  Tooke 
complained  of  the  crimes  implied  in  the  words,  "  fri- 
volous and  vexatious,"  invented  in  1789,  the  judgment 
and  application  of  which  were  reserved  for  another 
tribunal :  this  action  of  debt  he  considered  as  a  penalty 
for  the  commission  of  a  new  offence  ;  the  act  itself,  he 
•v  said  was  a  spring  gun,  and  spoke  plain  language,  not  to 
be  misunderstood  : — "  Tread  not  near  our  boroughs, 
for  woe  to  the  man  in  future  who  shall  be  caught 
in  our  traps,  our  frivolous  and  vexatious  traps.'''' 

After  a  variety  of  pointed  animadversions,  the  plain- 
tiff read  his  petition  to  the  House  of  Commons,  and 
then  produced  a  very  opposite  passage  from  Black- 
stone's  Commentaries  on  the  trial  by  jury,  concluding 
an  able  and  elaborate  speech  in  nearly  the  following 
words  : — 

"  Now,  I  desire  you  will  reflect  what  proofs  of  the 
debt  have  been  brought  before  you  ?  An  examined 
copy  of  the  journals  of  the  House  of  Commons,  and 
the  Speaker's  certificate,  have  been  produced.  But 
what  are  you  to  try  and  examine  ?  The  Speaker's 
certificate?  If  the  Speaker's  certificate  is  sufficient  to 
take  away  our  property,  why  should  not  the  Speaker's 


JOHN   HORNE    TOOKE.  75 

certificate  be  followed  by  an  execution  ?  What  occasion 
is  there  to  call  a  jury  together  to  try  nothing  ;  and  yet 
to  make  them  solemnly  swear  to  try  well  and  truly  ? 
I  ask  again,  unless  it  was  for  the  purpose  of  perjuring 
a  jury,  why  might  not  the  execution  have  immediately 
followed  the  Speaker's  certificate  as  well  as  your  ver- 
dict ?  Why !  There  was  no  reason  upon  earth  but 
one — it  was  done  to  color  the  transaction.  They  are 
not  yet  quite  ripe  enough  to  strip  from  us  at  once  (and 
let  us  know  it  at  the  time)  our  right  to  a  trial  by  jury. 
But  they  have  completely  done  it  in  effect.  They 
have  left  us  the  jury,  but  taken  away  the  trial ! 

"  They  have,  by  a  subterfuge,  taken  away  the  trial, 
which  is  the  important  part,  and  left  us  the  jury, 
which,  without  trial,  is  a  mere  mockery. 

"  As  men  then,  as  Englishmen,  as  Christians — or  if 
you  have  any  sense  of  any  other  tie  or  rehgion,  you 
are  compelled  to  pay  a  sacred  regard  to  that  oath 
which  you  have  sworn,  that  you  will  well  and  truly 
try-,  and  that  your  verdict  shall  only  be  in  consequence 
of  having  well  and  truly  tried  the  merits  of  the  question. 
Where  crime  is  the  question,  the  jury  must  judge  of 
the  guilt  charged,  and  of  its  extent ;  and  in  actions  for 


^* 


•>.' 


"76  MEMOIRS    OF 

property,  they  must  judge  whether  any  thing  is  really 
due,  and  to  what  amount ;  for  if  the  jury  are  not  to 
try  and  decide  upon  the  whole  merits  of  the  question 
before  them,  no  man  in  this  country  can  be  safe  in 
life  or  property  forever  hereafter.  Gentlemen,  you 
are  all  strangers  to  me.  You  ought  to  be,  and  I  be- 
lieve you  to  be  twelve  good  and  honest  men  ;  and  if 
you  are  so,  and  act  and  do  your  duty  accordingly,  I 
will  venture  to  say  that  you  will  sleep  this  night  more 
happily,  and  with  more  satisfaction,  than  ever  you  slept 
in  your  lives." 

Such  an  impression  did  this  speech  make  on  the  jury, 
although  it  was,  as  the  lawyers  term  it,  in  the  very  teeth 
of  an  act  of  parliament,  that  they  could  not  agree  in 
their  decision  while  in  court,  but  retired  to  consider  of 
it;  and  after  an  interval  of  four  hours  and  twenty 
minutes,  returned  a  verdict  for  the  plaintiff. 

*'  Thus  ended  a  cause,"  according  to  a  periodical 
work  of  that  time,  *'  which  will  be  equally  memorable, 
on  account  of  the  circumstances  that  gave  rise  to,  and 
those  which  accompanied  it :  a  cause,  in  the  course  of 
which,  the  defendant,  in  the  first  common  law  court  in 
the  kingdom,  and  in  the  face  of  the  whole  world,  ac- 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  77 

cused  a  judge  of  the  denial  of  justice ;  the  two  great 
parties  in  the  kingdom  of  a  wretched  struggle  for  the 
sordid  and  precarious  enjoyment  of  power,  place,  and 
emolument ;  and  a  House  of  Commons  of  England, 
of  gross  and  flagrant  corruption." 


CHAPTER    IV. 


At  the  commencement  of  the  revolution  in  France, 
a  new  order  of  things  took  place  in  England  as  well 
as  in  France.  In  France  every  member  of  the  state 
was  relaxed  and  palsied.  In  England  they  were  per- 
haps attempted  to  be  stretched  to.  an  unusual  and  unna- 
tural degree  of  tension  ;  in  both  "  terror"  soon  became 
the  order  of  the  day. 

A  number  of  societies  at  that  period  existed  in  Eng- 
land, the  end  and  aim  of  which  were  professed  to  be 
Parliamentary  Reform  ;  a  cause,  abetted,  invigorated 
and  supported  by  the  masculine  talents  of  the  very 
gentleman  who  at  that  time  held  the  reins  of  govern- 
ment, under  the  title  of  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer. 
These  societies  now  became  the  objects  of  ministerial 
jealousy.  Plots  being  reported  to  have  been  hatched 
by  them  in  order  to  subvert  the  executive  government, 


80  MEMOIRS  OF 

and  extinguish  the  monarchy ;  associations  for  the 
support  of  the  state  were  entered  into  ;  the  habeas 
corpus  bill  was  suspended,  and  the  Tower  was  actually 
fortified  !  In  addition  to  this,  warrants  were  issued 
with  the  same  profusion  as  Lettres  de  Cachet  had  been 
in  France,  under  the  despotic  sway  of  the  House  of 
Bourbon ;  and  Mr.  TooKE,  among  others,  was  taken 
prisoner  at  his  house  at  Wimbleton  ;  his  papers  were 
sealed  up,  and  he  himself  committed  a  close  prisoner. 

For  delinquents  of  this  description,  the  ordinary 
course  of  law  was  considered  as  too  slow  in  its  process ; 
and  accordingly,  on  the  10th  of  September,  1794,  a 
special  commission  of  Oyer  and  Terminer  was  issued. 
On  Thursday,  October  2,  it  was  opened  at  the  Sessions 
House,  Clerkenwell,  in  the  presence  of  Sir  James  Eyre, 
Knight,  Lord  Chief  Justice  of  the  Common  Pleas ; 
Sir  Archibald  Macdonald,  Knight,  Chief  Baron  of  the 
Court  of  Exchequer,  he.  The  speech  of  the  former 
of  these  judges  to  the  grand  jury,  on  this  occasion,  has 
been  severely  stigmatised,  as  tending  to  renew  the  odi- 
ous and  long  since  exploded  doctrines  of  cumulative 
and  constructive  treasons,  which  criminate  by  inuendo, 
and  would  inflict  punishments  for  implied  guilt. 


JOHN    IIORNE    TOOKE.  81 

On  Monda}^  October  6,  the  grand  jury  found  a  true 
bill  against  all  the  prisoners  except  one,  (Mr.  Thomas 
liovett.)  On  the  13th,  the  solicitor  to  the  treasury 
delivered  to  each  of  them  a  copy  of  the  indictment,  a 
list  of  the  jurors  impannelled  by  the  sheriti",  and  of  the 
witnesses  to  be  produced  on  the  part  of  the  crown :  on 
the  24th,  they  were  removed  by  habeas  corpus  to  the 
Tower :  and  on  the  25th,  they  were  arraigned  before 
Lord  Chief  Justice  Eyre,  and  severally  pleaded  7Wf 
guilty  to  the  indictment  which  charged  them  : — 

1st,  With  withdrawing  their  allegiance  from  the 
King. 

2d,  With  endeavoring  to  excite  rebellion  and  war 
against  his  majesty,  in  order  to  subvert  and  alter  the 
legislature,  and  depose  his  said  majesty. 

3d,  With  preparing  and  composing  certain  books, 
resolutions  and  instructions,  and  traitorously  causing 
and  procuring  the  same  to  be  published.      And 

4th,  With  maliciously  and  traitorously  procuring 
and  providing  arms  and  offensive  weapons,  to  uit, 
guns,    muskets,  pikes  and   axes,  to  levy  and  wage  in- 

11 


82  MEMOIRS   OF 

surrection  and   rebellion  against   our   said    lord   the 
King,  he. 

On  Monday,  November  17,  the  trial  of  Mr.  Horne 
TooKE  came  on,  and  continued  during  that  and  the 
five  following  days. 

Soon  after  Mr.  Tooke's  being  brought  to  the  bar, 
he  was  allowed  to  sit  near  his  counsel,  in  consequence 
of  what  he  would  not  term  an  "indulgence,"  but  a 
"  right."  When  several  of  the  jury  wished  to  be  ex- 
cused on  account  of  ill  health,  this  excuse  was  sup- 
ported by  the  prisoner,  who  addressed  the  bench  as 
follows : — 

"  I,  for  my  part,  hope  that  no  infirm  gentleman 
shall  be  taken  upon  this  jury  ;  because,  I  had  rather 
die  where  1  stand,  than  consent  that  the  jury  and  the 
judge  should  quit  this  place  till  the  cause  is  gone 
through.  1  do  therefore  beg,  that  the  jurors  may  be 
men  in  health  ;  that  they  may  not  suflcr  in  doing  their 
duty ;  but  that  1  may  be  the  first  victim.  The  law  never 
intended  that  the  crime  of  high  treason,  which  ought 
to  lie  in  the  palm  of  your  hand,  should  take  up  five 
days  in  the  proof:  therefore  I  beg  your  lordship  will 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  83 

be  so  good  as  to  let  me  die  in  this  place,  rather  than 
that  the  whole  criminal  law  and  practice  of  this  country 
should  be  destroyed." 

The  Solicitor-general,  in  a  speech  of  several  hours, 
endeavored  to  maintain  "  the  existence  of  a  plot  to 
subvert  and  alter  the  legislature,  rule,  and  government 
of  the  kingdom,  and  to  depose  the  King  from  his 
royal  state,  power,  and  government."  A  variety  of 
papers  were  produced  ;  the  books  of  the  society  for 
constitutional  information  were  brought  forward,  and 
its  secretary,  and  a  number  of  other  witnesses  were 
examined  at  the  bar ;  but  nothing  was  adduced  that 
exhibited  even  a  shadow  of  either  conspiracy  or  guilt ! 
On  the  contrary,  the  innocence  of  the  prisoner  became 
conspicuous,  and  he  himself  was  so  much  at  ease,  not- 
withstanding a  very  bad  state  of  health,  that  he  after- 
wards declared  in  the  presence  of  the  narrator,  "  if  the 
song  which  was  brought  forward  on  the  trial  of  Mr. 
Hardy  had  been  produced  against  him,  he  was  deter- 
mined to  have  sang  it;  for,"  added  he,  "  as  there  was 
no  treason  in  the  words,  I  should  have  left  it  to  a  jury 
of  my  countrymen  to  have  declared,  whether  there  was 
any  in  the  tune." 


84  MEMOIRS  OF 

Mr.  Erskine,  in  a  very  able  and  eloquent  speech, 
asserted  it  to  be  the  office  of  the  jury  to  decide,  whether 
the  record,  inseparable  in  its  members,  was  true  or  false. 
"My  whole  argument  has  only  been,  and  still  is,"  said 
he,  "  that  the  intention  against  the  King's  life  is  the 
crime  ;  that  its  existence  is  matter  of  fact  and  not  matter 
of  law ;  and  that  it  must  therefore  be  collected  by  you, 
gentlemen  of  the  jury,  instead  of  being  made  the  ab- 
stract result  of  a  legal  proposition,  from  any  fact  which 
does  not  directly  embrace  and  comprehend  the  inten- 
tion which  constitutes  the  treason." 

The  reply,  on  the  part  of  the  Attorney-general,  was 
more  remarkable  for  its  length  than  its  eflect.  One 
memorable  circumstance  however  occurred,  for  that 
officer  of  the  crown,  who  now  presides  in  a  much  higher 
department,  appears,  on  this  occasion,  to  have  surren- 
dered the  long  contested  point  about  royal  inviolability, 
as  he  asserted  (according  to  the  printed  trial  of  John 
HoRNE  TooKE,  taken  in  short  hand,  by  Joseph 
Gurney,)  "  that  if  the  king  were  to  take  a  dilferent 
parliament  than  what  the  law  and  constitution  of 
England  had  given  him,  he  ought  to  lose  his  life  ; 
and  1  trust,"  added  he  "  would  be  willing  to  lose  his 
life  rather  than  act  contrary  to  his  coronation  oath." 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  85 

On  this  Mr.  TooKE,  with  his  usual  readiness,  ex- 
claimed, "  What !  is  the  Attorney-general  talking 
treason  f  I  should  be  unhappy  to  mistake  you  ;  (ad- 
dressing himself  to  Sir  John  Scott,)  Did  you  say  the 
king  ought  to  lose  his  life  if  he  took  any  other  parlia- 
ment ?" 

After  the  merits  of  the  cause  had  been  fairly,  fully, 
and  amply  canvassed,  Mr.  Tooke  called  a  number  of 
respectable  persons  to  testify  to  his  character,  both 
public  and  private,  for  a  series  of  years ;  and  the  jury, 
having  withdrawn  for  only  eight  minutes,  delivered  in 
a  verdict  of  not  guilty  by  their  foreman,  to  the  evident 
satisfaction  of  the  audience,  as  well  as  of  the  populace 
with  which  the  adjoining  streets  were  crowded. 

As  soon  as  a  calm  had  ensued,  Mr.  ToOKE  address- 
ed himself  to  the  court,  and  observed,  "  my  mind,  my 
lord,  is  much  better  formed  to  feel  and  to  acknowledge 
kindness  than  to  solicit  it ;  I  desire  to  return  my  most 
sincere  thanks  to  your  lordship,  and  to  the  bench,  for 
the  conduct  which  you  have  held  towards  me,  during 
the  whole  of  this  tedious  trial. 

"Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  you   have  afforded  a  just 


86  MEMOIRS    OF 

protection  to  my  life ;  I  thank  you  for  it ;  and  give  me 
leave  to  tell  you  two  things,  which  will  increase  your 
satisfaction  as  long  as  you  live.  We  both  shall  have 
done  good  to  our  country.  When  I  have  told  you 
two  facts,  one  of  which  it  was  impossible  I  should  tell 
you  before,  and  the  other  it  was  unfit  that  I  should  tell 
you  before,  I  am  sure  we  shall  never  see  such  a  trial 
as  this  again.  My  caution,  and  my  virtue,  for  at  this 
moment  I  will  place  it  to  myself,  are  the  cause  of  those 
suspicions  which  dwelt  upon  his  lordship's  mind  :  his 
sagacit}'  and  integrity  assisted  him  to  clear  many  things 
up  to  you  ;  but  the  whole  suspicion  has  arisen  from 
this — I  was  anxious  for  the  proper  conduct  of  other 
men ;  and  if  I  could  have  foreseen,  what  I  never  could 

foresee,  till  the  Attorney-general  made  his  reply 

Gentlemen,  this  will  help  to  direct  your  conduct 
through  life ;  and  it  will  help  other  jurymen  likewise  to 
restrict  this  kind  of  guilt  by  inference.  His  lordship 
did  see  some  part  of  it,  and  with  great  cander,  he 
mentioned  it  to  you.  The  fact  stands  thus  : — being 
rarely  present  at  these  meetings,  when  my  name  ap- 
pears in  the  books,  I  was  anxious  for  the  safety  of  a 
very  honest,  but  not  a  very  able  man.  The  secretary 
repeatedly  brought  to  me  papers,  which  the  society 
had  received,  which  were  ordered  for  publication,  and 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  87 

were  afterwards  put  in  the  newspapers ;  and  when  I 
saw  a  word  which  was  capable  of  causing  a  prosecu- 
tion for  a  libel,  I  took  the  paper,  and  with  my  hand, 
Struck  out  the  exceptionable  words,  and  inserted  others 
which  would  avoid  the  danger  of  a  prosecution.  Upon 
this  is  built  all  that  apprehension  and  suspicion  of  the 
direction,  and  conduct  and  originating  of  societies, 
with  none  of  whom,  nor  witli  any  of  the  individuals  of 
whom,  did  I  ever  correspond,  or  communicate,  at  all. 
I  know  none  of  these  country  societies,  except  as  can- 
didate for  the  city  of  Westminster.  Every  man  who 
camt  to  me,  of  every  opinion  whatever,  if  he  asked  my 
opinion,  1  corrected  his  works,  A.  gentleman  in  court 
ivrote  a  book  against  me — /  corrected  the  book  myself. 
1  do  not  mention  it  to  justify  myself,  because  a  jury  of 
my  country  have  justified  me  quickly,  clearly,  and 
nobly  ;  but,  I  mention  it  for  the  sake  of  that  law  upon 
which  the  blood,  and  the  family,  and  the  character  of 
men  depend.  There  never  stood  a  man  before  your 
lordship  more  free  from  rational  foundation  of  suspi- 
cion, upon  this  ground,  than  I  stand  before  you.  If 
you  examine  all  the  papers — if  the  Attorney-general 
will  look  at  them  again  with  this  key,  he  will  find  it  so. 
If  the  Solicitor-general  had  stated  in  his  opening,  what 
the   Attorney. general  did,   when  your  lordship  had 


88  MEMOIRS   OF 

properly  closed  my  mouth,  I  should  have  explained  it ; 
but  1  obeyed  your  direction  ;  and  witli  confidence  1 
trusted  my  life  with  that  jury.  If  I  had  been  permit- 
ted, I  could  have  explained  that  which  was  thought 
the  strongest  evidence  against  me.  There  was  one 
paper,  where  the  word  '  government'  was  struck  out, 
and  '  country'  put  in.  '  Radical  reform  of  the  go- 
vernment,' might  mean  to  pull  up  government  by  the 
roots  ;  '  radical  reform  of  the  country'  could  mean 
no  such  thing ; — no  man  will  be  charged  with  pulling 
the  country  up  by  the  roots.  The  paper  was  forgot- 
ten ;  I  recollected  it  when  it  was  read.  I  had  not 
foreseen  the  nature  of  the  charges  and  inferences 
to  be  used  against  me,  to  make  me  a  traitor ;  it  is 
impossible  1  could  foresee  them.  To  prevent  the  pro- 
secution of  other  persons  for  a  libel,  i  have  suffered 
a  prosecution  for  high  treason.  I  return  your  lordship 
thanks;  I  return  my  counsel  thanks,  my  noble  friend 
Mr.  Erskine,  who  has  been  so  nobly  supported  by  Mr. 
Gibbs  : — and,  you,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  1  return 
you  my  thanks  :  I  am  glad  I  have  been  prosecuted ; 
and  I  hope  this  will  make  the  Attorney-general  more 
cautious  in  future ;  he  said  he  would  have  no  treason 
by  construction,  and  there  is  no  suspicion  against  me 
but  by  construction  and  inference."  (TooKE  was  im- 
mediately discharged.) 


JOHN    HORNE   TOOKE.  89 

On  the  dissolution  of  the  parliament  in  1796,  Mr. 
TooKE  oftered  himself  once  more  as  a  candidate  for 
Westminster. 

It  might  have  been  supposed,  perhaps,  that  increas- 
ing debility,  an  advanced  age,  and  the  misfortunes 
arising  out  of  a  long  imprisonment,  had  abated  the 
spirit,  if  they  had  not  altered  the  opinions  of  the  subject 
of  this  work.  This,  however,  was  not  the  case,  for  we 
find  him  now  apparently  more  eager  than  ever  to  ob- 
tain a  seat  in  the  House  of  Commons. 

Here,  after  having  polled  2,819  votes,  he  was  again 
defeated. — He  is,  however,  chargeable  with  the  incon- 
sistency of  taking  his  seat  in  parliament  as  member 
for  the  decayed  borough  of  Old  Sarum,  in  1801. 

Mr.  TooKE,  now  in  the  65th  year  of  his  age,  had 
thus  suddenly  become  a  member  of  the  legislature  ;  but 
it  was  at  a  time  of  Hfe,  and  under  circumstances  not 
altogether  consistent,  for  he  liad  always  been  ambitious 
to  represent  some  populous  city,  such  as  Westminster, 
and  no  one  ever  felt  the  force  of  ridicule,  on  this  occa- 
sion, more  than  himself.  His  increasing  infirmities,  too, 
rendered  a  constant  attendance  difficult,  if  not  impos- 

12 


90  MEiMOlKS   OF 

sible.  In  addition  to  this,  Lord  Temple,  now  Marquis 
of  Buckingham,  on  the  very  first  day  that  he  took  his 
seat,  expressed  his  doubt  as  to  his  eligibility,  and  threat- 
ened an  inquiry  at  no  distant  period. 

Notwithstanding  this,  the  member  for  Old  Sarum 
took  an  active  part  in  the  debates.  On  the  third  day 
(February  19th,  1801,)  of  his  appearance,  he  support- 
ed the  late  Mr.  Sturt  in  his  motion  relative  to  the 
Terrol  expedition,  on  which  occasion  he  conducted 
himself  with  equal  temper  and  ability.  "  He  was 
astonished,"  he  said,  "  that  ministers  should  resist  an 
inquiry  relative  to  so  gross  and  palpable  a  failure,  at 
the  very  time  when  the  house  appeared  so  ready  to  sit 
in  judgment  on  the  borough  of  Old  Sarum,  and  the 
representative  eligibility  of  an  old  priest!"  He  gaily 
inquired  "what  kind  of  contagious  malady  could  be 
produced  by  his  sitting  among  those  who  were  pleased 
to  call  themselves  the  Commons  of  England  ?"  And 
asked  in  a  jocular  strain,  "  whether  a  quarantine  of 
more  than  thirty  years  was  not  sufficient  to  guard 
against  the  infection  of  his  original  character  .''" 

Shortly  after,  a  motion  was  made  "  that  the  Speaker 
do  issue  a  warrant  to  the  clerk  of  the  crown,  to  make 


JOHN   IIORNE    TOOKE.  91 

out  a  new  writ  for  the  borough  of  Old  Sarum,  in  the 
county  of  Wiltes,  in  the  room  of  the  Rev.  John  Horne 
ToOKE,  who  is  ineligible,  being  in  priest's  orders." 
This  was  resisted  by  that  gentleman,  in  a  short  address, 
of  which  the  following  is  the  substance.  Mr.  Tooke 
prefaced  his  speech,  by  observing,  "  that  he  had  but 
two  struggles  in  his  life,  before  the  present,  which  were 
in  any  shape  personal.  The  first  was,  when  he  applied 
for  the  degree  of  A.  M.,  which,  by  the  by,"  he  added, 
"  a  great  dog  might  obtain,  if  made  to  articulate  the 
words,  pro6o  aliter ;''"'  and  the  second,  when  a  doubting 
set  of  the  benchers  rejected  his  claim  of  admission  to 
the  bar,  without  any  reference  to  law  or  precedent. 

In  regard  to  the  present  question,  how  it  may  end, 
he  knew  not ;  but,  for  the  sake  of  others,  he  was  de- 
sirous to  maintain  his  rights  ;  but  so  far  as  he  himself 
was  concerned,  no  anxiety  prevailed  on  the  score  of 
privileges — for  he  owed  no  money  !  "  He  then  animad- 
verted on  the  unparliamentary  conduct  of  the  com- 
mittee, in  delegating  their  delegated  powers  to  others, 
to  examine  old  records  :  the  result  of  the  search  was, 
that  clerk  (an  epithet  applied  in  those  days  to  any  per- 
son who  could  read,)  signified  a  clergyman.  He  as- 
serted that  the  committee  did  not  even  understand  the 


92  BIEMOIRS    OF 

Saxon  characters ;  and  remarked,  that,  in  quoting 
twenty-one  cases,  they  had  made  no  less  than  eleven 
mistakes. 

The  next  combated  the  doctrine,  that  he  could  not 
lay  down  his  function  as  a  priest,  which  doctrine,  he 
thought,  must  appear  futile,  when  It  was  recollected, 
that  there  were  many  canons  that  dwelt  on  the  disposi- 
tion of  priests :  "  one  of  these  states,"  added  he,  "  that 
if  any  clergyman  attempted  to  cast  out  devils  unlaw- 
fully, such  persons  should  be  deposed.  Now,  for 
exar»ple,  Mr.  Speaker,  If  1  had  attempted  to  cast  the 
devil  out  of  this  house,  1  must  have  been  deposed,  and 
of  course  been  deemed  eligible.  But,  In  this  case,  my 
only  crin.e  is  my  innocence  ;  my  only  guilt,  tiiat  of  not 
having  scandalized  my  order.  I  feel  myself,  sir,  exactly 
in  the  situation  of  the  girl  who  applied  for  reception 
into  the  Magdalen.  On  being  asked  respecting  the 
particulars  of  her  misfortune,  she  answered,  she  was  in- 
nocent as  the  child  unborn;  the  reply  was,  "  This  Is 
a  place  only  for  the  creatures  of  'prostitution,  you  must 
go  and  qualify  yourself  before  you  can  be  admitted." 

After  a  few  vvords  from  Mr.  Fox  and  Mr.  Erskinc, 
In  opposition  to  the  motion,  Mr.  Addington,  who  had 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  93 

just  been  appointed  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  most 
unexpectedly  arose  and  moved  the  previous  question, 
which  put  an  end  to  discussion  for  the  present.  But 
on  the  6th  of  May,  the  new  premier  brought  in  a  bill 
"  to  remove  all  doubts  relative  to  the  eligibility  of 
persons  in  holy  orders  to  sit  in  the  Commons'  House 
of  Parliament." 

The  bill  was  passed,  and  carried  up  to  the  House  of 
Lords  in  the  usual  manner.     There   it  met  with  but 
little   opposition,  except  from  Lord  Thurlow.     That 
nobleman,  now  in  the  decline  of  life,  and  fast  verging 
towards  the  grave,  determined,  on  this  occasion,  to 
make  up  for  his  former  enmity  against  a  gentleman, 
whose  talents   and  genius  had  at  length  acquired   his 
esteem.     He  accordingly  rose  in  his  place,   and  stren- 
uously advocated  his  cause.     He  hoped  that  ministers 
were  not  actuated,  on  this  occasion   "by  personal  an- 
tipathies ;"    and    ridiculed  the    idea    of   "  legislating 
against    a   single   individual."      His   lordship,   at  the 
same  time,   contended,   that  he  must  be  a  man  of  no 
common  abilities,  who  was  thus  about  to  be  prescribed 
by  a  new  and  extraordinary  statute ;  but  he  hoped  that 
the   house,  which  he  then  addressed,  would  not  give 
its  countenance  to  a  proceeding,  equally  unsanctioned 
by  principle  and  by  precedent. 


94  MEMOIRS   OF 

Notwithstanding  this,  the  bill  was  carried  through 
all  its  stages,  without  any  further  opposition,  and,  in 
the  course  of  a  (ew  days,  received  the  royal  assent. 

By  that  new  law,  Mr.  Tooke  was,  however,  per- 
mitted to  retain  his  station  until  the  dissolution,  which 
ensued  soon  after.  Being  then  disfranchised  and  pre- 
cluded from  sitting  in  the  House  of  Commons,  by  an 
express  act  of  the  legislature,  which,  without  naming, 
was  obviously  aimed  at  the  exclusion  of  him  alone,  he 
retired  once  more  to  a  private  station.  This  was  in 
some  measure  rendered  necessary  by  his  increasing 
years  and  disabilities  ;  by  his  distaste  for  the  situ^on 
he  had  occupied ;  and,  above  all,  by  his  uniform  attach- 
ment to  a  country  life. 

Thenceforth,  he  confined  himself  almost  entirely  to 
his  house  and  his  gardens,  and  in  the  peaceful  shades 
of  Wimbleton,  cultivated  literature  and  friendship. 
There,  too,  by  his  attention  to  rural  afl'airs,  he  seemed 
to  soothe  the  approaches,  and  assuage  the  proxysms  of 
disease.  Life,  for  the  first  time,  perhaps,  since  his 
childhood,  now  flowed  on  in  one  smooth  undeviating 
current,  varied  only  by  occasional  study,  and  the 
interchange   of  good  oflices  with  his  neighbors  and 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  95 

acquaintance.  He  still,  however,  retained  all  his 
faculties  unimpaired.  His  masculine  mind  yet  con- 
tinued to  dictate  to  all  who  chose  to  consult  him,  and 
his  responses  were  usually  received,  like  those  of  the 
oracles  of  old,  with  implicit  deference.  The  habitual 
mfluence  exercised  over  those  who  associated  with  him, 
indicated  his  customary  energy,  and  at  once  evinced 
a  predominant  genius,  fitted  by  nature  for  command, 
and  accustomed  to  be  uniformly  obeyed. 

At  the  general  election,  he  published  the  following 
advertisement : — 


II  V, 


TO   THE   ELECTORS   OF  WESTMINSTER. 

«'  Wimbledon,  June  26,  1802. 
"  Gentlemen— It  has  lately,  for  the  first  time,  been 
"  discovered,  that  something  (I  know  not  what)  myste- 
"  rious,  miraculous  and  supernatural,  was  operated 
"  upon  me  nearly  half  a  century  ago,  in  this  protestant 
"  country,  which  has  divested  me,  at  the  close  of  my 
*'  life,  of  the  common  rights  of  a  man,  and  a  citizen.  I 
«*  am  thus  prevented,  by  a  miracle,  from  keeping  my 
"  word,  and  offering  to  you  again  my  services  in  parlia- 
"  ment.    This,  however,  I  regret  the  less,  because,  from 


9^  MEMOIRS    OF 

"  what  I  have  seen,  1  am  perfectly  satisfied,  that  (consti- 
"  tuted  as  that  assembly  at  present  is,)  nothing  short  of 
"  another  miracle  could  possibly  enable  me  to  render 
"  any  service  there. 

"  At  66,  when  time  and  infirmity  had  already  dis- 
"  qualified  me  for  any  considerable  exertion,  exclu- 
"sion  from  that  parliament,  (of  which  Mr.  Christopher 
"  Atkinson  was  at  that  time  an  undisputed  and  welcome 
"  member)  by  an  act  of  the  legislature,  made  upon  the 
"  spur  of  the  occasion,  against  an  individual.  I  accept 
"  as  a  singular  compliment  to  the  persevering  endea- 
''  vors  of  my  past  hfe,  and,  in  times  Hke  these,  as  a  most 
"  honorable  conclusion.  At  the  same  time,  I  acknow- 
"  ledge  it  to  be  an  act  of  mercy  in  my  old  electioneering 
"  comrade,  the  present  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer, 
*'  (Lord  Sidmouth,)  who  brought  in  the  bill ;  for  if, 
"  instead  of  this  exclusion,  he  had  proposed  to  hang 
"  me  immediately  in  the  lobby,  he,  or  any  other  Chan- 
"  cellor  of  the  Kxchequer,  would  have  been  followed 
"  by  the  same  majority. 

"  I  return  you,  gentlemen,  my  sincere  thanks  for  the 
"  honorable  support  you  afibrded  me  at  the  two  last 
"  elections,  which,  under  the  circumstances,  far  exceed- 


JOHN    HORNE    TOOKE.  97 

"  ed  my  expectations,  and  for  the  noble  support  you 
"  had  prepared  for  me  on  the  present  occasion.  I  shall 
"  continue,  during  the  short  remainder  of  my  life,  most 
"  steadily  attached  to  the  ancient  freedom  of  my  coun- 
"  try,  (as  it  was  practically  enjoyed  under  those  honest 
"  old  gentlemen,  George  I.  and  II.)  and  your  grateful 
"  servant. 

"  John  Horne  Tooke." 

Having  published  by  subscription,  a  second  edition 
in  quartOf  of  his  "  Diversions  of  Purley,"  a  second 
part,  in  quarto,  appeared  in  1805,  in  which  he  chiefly 
adverted  to  etymology,   and  to  adjectives  and  parti- 
ciples, and  their  formation,  intermixing  satirical  stric- 
tures upon  some  literary  and  political  characters  of 
note.     From  this  time  his  bodily  infirmities,  occasioned 
by  a  disorder  to  which  he  had  been  long  subject,  in- 
creased, though  he  retained  his  faculties  in  full  vigor, 
and  continued  to  enjoy  life.     His  temper  was  little  af- 
fected by  mental  or  physical  evil,  and  "  no  one  more 
strenuously  maintained,"   says  one  of  his  biographers, 
"  the  balance  of  good  in   human  existence."     "  His 
latter  days,"   says  the  same  writer,   "  were  cheered  by 
easy  circumstances,  and  the  attention  of  many  friends, 
"horn  he  entertained  with  great  hospitality,  and  amus- 

13 


&8  31EM0IRS  OF,  Uc. 


ed  by  his  conversation,  which  was  singularly  pleasant 
and  lively.  With  an  unaltered  brow  he  could  be  either 
facetious  or  sarcastic,  and  his  features  seldom  disclosed 
what  was  passing  within.  His  manners  were  polished, 
and  his  appearance  was  that  of  a  gentleman  of  the  old 
school."  His  life,  at  length,  terminated  by  tedious 
and  continued  decay,  in  March,  1812,  in  the  77th 
year  of  his  age.  As  he  was  never  married,  his  pro- 
perty was  bequeathed  to  his  relatives. 

Of  John  Horne  Tooke  it  may  truly  and  emphati- 
cally be  said,  that  on  his  demise  there  set  the  brightest 
stin  that  ever  illumined  the  hemisphere  of  English 
literature. 


CHAPTER  V. 

In  perusing  carefully  the  life  of  ToOKE,  as  thus 
collected  and  collated,  can  any  one  fail  to  be  struck 
with  the  remarkable  coincidence  of  every  particular, 
with  the  peculiarities  which  are  claimed  for  Junius. — 
He  was  an  "  Englishman  of  highly  cultivated  educa- 
tion, deeply  versed  in  the  language,  laws,  constitution, 
and  history  of  his  native  country."  Few  men  have 
ever  attained  a  higher  reputation  among  their  cotem- 
poraries,  for  skill  in  language,  variety  of  knowledge, 
high  talents,  and  peculiar  familiarity  with  the  great 
constitutional  questions  which  then  agitated  the  coun- 
try. His  means  were,  during  that  period,  far  above  his 
wants,  and  his  munificence  to  individuals,  with  his 
large  contributions  to  the  public  cause,  are  upon  re- 
cord. 

He  had  attained  the  age  of  31,  and  having  twice 
made  the  tour  of  the  continent,  might  have  reason  to 


100  MEMOIRS    OF 

speak,  without  presumption,  of  his  own  experience  of 
the  world. 

In  the  early  part  of  1767,  he  returned  from  the  con- 
tinent, and  resided   in  the  vicinity  of  London  during     ' 
the  years  mentioned,  devoting  a  very  large  portion  of 
his  time  to  pohtics,  and  writing  for  the  Newspapers. 

He  was  impetuous  in  his  disposition,  but  capable  of, 
and  exercising  great  self  command — subject  to  strong 
political  bias,  and  personal  animosities — "  possessed 
of  a  high  independant  spirit — honestly  attached  to  the 
principles  of  the  constitution,  and  fearless  and  indefa- 
tigable in  maintaining  them— that  he  was  strict  in  his 
attention  to  public  decorum — an  avowed  member  of  the 
established  church,  and  though  acquainted  with  Englisli 
judicature,   not  a  lawyer  by  profession. 

If  the  author  of  the  preliminary  essay  had  been  dis- 
cussing the  life  and  character  of  John  Horne  Tooke, 
instead  of  recapitulating  the  traits  which  had  been  dis- 
covered to  belong  to  the  unknown  Junius,  he  could 
not  have  struck  off  a  more  correct  general  outline. 
This  is  strong  in  favor  of  our  hypothesis,  because, 
proceeding  from  a  disinterested  enquirer,  without  refer- 


J    )       i 


•  ^,'v^;^;^.'■^ 


JOHN    IIORNE    TOOKE.  101 


ence  to  any  particular  person,   and  in  a  discussion   in 
which  the  name  of  TooKE  was  not  suggested. 

This  argument,  upon  the  general  character  of 
TooKE,  will  be  further  strengthened  by  a  reference 
to  the  manner  in  which  the  Quarterly  Review,  the 
most  able  and  powerful  opponent  of  the  system  which 
Mr.  TooKE  supported  so  zealously,  speaks  of  his 
life  and  character,  allowing  something  for  the  remains 
of  old  resentments ;  something  for  their  increased  an- 
tipathy to  the  Whig  party,  which  makes  it  rather  pro- 
blematical, (with  all  due  respect  for  the  goodness  of 
their  intentions)  whether  they  could  deal  impartially 
with  the  man,  whom  they  pronounce  the  chief  support 
of  that  party. 

It  adds  great  weight  to  the  general  argument  of 
probability,  and  records  their  testimony  to  his  un- 
doubted capacity  for  the  task. 

"  In  considering  his  political  career,  the  most  ma- 
terial circumstance,  that,  which  is  most  necessary  to 
keep  steadily  in  view,  in  order  to  form  a  correct  and 
candid  estimate  of  his  character,  is,  that  he  was  from 
beginning  to  end,  a  man  laboring  under  great,  per- 


105  MEMOIRS    OF 

petual,  irremoveable,  civil  disabilities.  He  had  been 
unfortunate  (we  say  so  without  fear  of  being  misinter- 
preted) in  his  choice  of  a  profession  ;  for  it  is  a  real 
misfortune  to  a  man  of  an  enterprising  disposition,  natus 
rebus  agendis,  to  become  a  member  of  an  order,  in 
which  propriety  and  duty  enjoin  a  sparing  and  partial 
interference  with  the  concerns  of  the  world  ;  and  in 
which,  if  propriety  and  duty  are  found  too  feeble  re- 
straints, the  law  interposes  with  a  strong  arm,  to  curb 
profane  activity  and  unprofessional  exertions.  What 
a  man  ought  to  do  under  such  circumstances  is  obvious 
— but  such  is  the  weakness  of  human  nature,  that  what 
he  ought  to  do  is,  we  are  afraid,  not  what  he  is  always 
likely  to  do — certainly  the  very  reverse  of  what  Mr. 
TooKE  did  do.  In  fact,  his  whole  life  seems  to  have 
been  spent  in  an  unavailing  and  ungraceful  struggle  to 
extricate  himself  from  the  restraints  which  his  situation 
imposed  upon  him.  He  was  forever  beating  himself 
against  the  bars  of  his  cage ;  and  such  is  the  power  of 
passion  over  reason,  that  neither  the  exercise  of  his 
penetrating  and  vigorous  understanding,  nor  the  expe- 
rience of  constant  failures,  were  sufficient  to  prevent 
him  from  wasting  his  strength,  in  an  idle  endeavor  to 
pass  the  magic  circle  which  law  and  custom  had  drawn 
around  him.      Hence,   all  his  exertions  wanted  both 


<*; 


JOHN   HORNE    TOOKE.  103 

dignity  and  effect ;  and  his  extraordinary  talents  were 
productive  of  little  true  glory  to  himself,  and  scarcely 
of  any  benefit  to  the  world. 

Mr.  TooKE  was  born  with  an  iron  constitution  of 
body  and  mind ;  he  was  endowed  with  persevering 
industry,  armed  with  unshaken  courage,  and  stimulated 
by  a  restless  ambition.  These  qualities  should  carry 
their  possessor  very  far  in  a  free  country ;  but  the  bar- 
rier was  insurmountable.  Gifted  with  the  talents  of  a 
great  performer,  he  was  compelled  throughout  to  play 
inferior  parts.  As  a  politician,  he  was  always  below 
himself;  always  acting  in  subordination  to  his  equals, 
or  on  a  level  with  those  whom  nature  and  education 
had  placed  at  an  immeasurable  distance  beneath  him. 
He  began  his  career  as  an  assistant  in  a  struggle,  from 
which  the  mock  patriot  Wilkes,  derived  all  the  glory 
and  all  the  advantage  ;  and  he  ended  it  by  dividing 
the  credit  of  turbulent,  unsuccessful,  and  unpopular 
resistance  to  sound  principles,  and  lawful  authority 
with  Messrs.  Hardy  and  Thelwell.  He  could  not  be 
a  lawyer,  therefore  he  resisted  the  law,  and  reviled 
those  who  administered  it.  He  could  not  be  a  states- 
man, nay,  not  even  a  demagogue,  and  therefore  he  was 
content  to  become  a  factious  partisan,  a  low  agitator. 


104  MEMOIRS   OF 

to  insult  those  whom  he  could  not  rival,  and  to  dis- 
turb a  country,  in  the  government  of  which,  he  never 
could  have  a  share.  Disappointment  and  envy  had 
taken  possession  of  his  whole  soul,  soured  his  temper, 
narrowed  his  views,  and  perverted  his  judgment.  It 
was  his  habit  to  speak  evil  of  dignities,  to  assail  by 
ridicule  or  invective,  all  those  persons  and  things, 
which,  by  the  common  feeling  of  the  rest  of  the  world, 
were  marked  out  as  objects  of  reverence  and  admiration. 
He  professed,  indeed,  to  admire  the  constitution  of  his 
country ;  but  it  was  the  constitution  as  it  was  said  to 
exist  at  some  remote,  and  never  defined  period  ;  not 
the  constitution  such  as  it  now  is,  under  which,  accord- 
ing to  him,  every  species  of  corruption  and  injustice 
had  grown  up  and  flourished  ;  and  he  delighted  to 
carp  at  that  beneficent  system  of  law,  to  which  of  all 
men  living,  he  was  the  most  deeply  indebted.  The 
mild  spirit  and  lenient  administration  of  English  jus- 
tice were  never  more  clearly  exemplified  than  in  the 
impunity  of  a  man  who  was  constantly  treading  upon 
the  very  verge  of  crimes,  that  aimed  at  nothing  less 
than  the  entire  ruin  of  the  state  ;  and  whose  delight  it 
was  to  insidt  the  best  feelings  of  the  country  at  a  time 
of  universal  danger,  alarm,  and  irritation.  The  same 
temper  of  mind  rendered  him  unjust  to  almost  every 


*i 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  105 

Species  of  excellence  in  his  contemporaries.  Among 
the  objects  of  his  particular  and  personal  antipathy, 
are  to  be  numbered  nearly  all  the  great  men  of  his 
age  and  country.  He  hated  Doctor  Johnson,  he 
hated  Mr.  Burke,  he  hated  Lord  Mansfield,  he  haled 
Mr.  Pitt,  he  hated  Mr.  Fox,  and  he  spoke  of  tiiem 
without  any  of  that  respect  or  forbearance  which  great 
talents,  and  high  station,  and  the  esteem  of  the  great- 
est part  of  the  world,  generally  extort  from  less  resolute 
or  less  acrimonious  adversaries. 

The  Ishmael  of  literature  and  politics,  his  hand  was 
against  every  mans'  hand,  and  every  mans'  hand  was 
against  him.  Oderint  dum  metuant  seems  to  have 
been  his  motto :  and  provided  he  could  excite  surprise 
by  his  paradoxes,  and  terror  by  his  abuse,  he  cared 
little  for  public  esteem,  and  looked  to  no  more  im- 
portant or  more  salutary  effect.  His  writings  and 
speeches  are  all  composed  in  a  confident  accusatory 
tone.  It  is  not  enough  for  him  to  show  that  his  adver- 
saries must  be  wrong,  but  he  is  equally  determined  to 
prove  that  they  must  be  dishonest.  Dissent  from  his 
opinion  was  not  mere  intellectual  weakness,  but  moral 
gu  It.  No  man  ever  more  resolutely  threw  away  the 
scabbard  in  every  attack.     He  seems  to  have  consi- 

14 


106  MEMOIRS   OF 

dered  the  then  order  of  things  as  one  in  which  he 
could  find  no  proper  place  ;  and  he  therefore  consol- 
ed himself  by  waging  irreconcilable  war  against  all 
those  by  whom  it  was  upheld.  He  does  not  appear 
to  have  acted  upon  any  particular  system,  or  to  have 
directed  his  efforts  towards  any  particular  objects. 

In  fact,  the  occasions  which  allowed  much  active  in- 
terference on  his  part,  but  seldom  occurred.  A  popu- 
lar election,  conducted  with  circumstances  of  extreme 
party  violence,  or  a  society  formed  to  alter  the  consti- 
tution, or  control  the  government,  were  his  chief  oppor- 
tunities for  distinction,  and  upon  these  he  seized  with 
great  eagerness,  and  availed  himself  of  them  with 
great  ability.  But  these  brilliant  moments  soon  pass- 
ed away  :  the  election  was  decided,  or  the  society 
was  suppressed,  and  he  was  condemned  to  pass  through 
a  long  interval  of  quiet  obscurity. 

One  of  his  earliest,  strongest,  and  most  enduring 
feelings,  was  antipathy  to  the  House  of  Commons. 
But  like  most  other  innovators,  he  seems  to  have 
thought  that  there  was  no  harm  in  taking  advantage 
of  the  present  system  so  long  as  it  lasted.  Old  Sarum, 
that  standing  insult  to  the  theory  of  representation ;  that 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  107 

bye-word  among  the  reformers,  had  the  singular  honor 
of  returning  the  Rev.  Mr.  TooKE  to  parliament,  who 
took  his  seat  (apparently)  without  any  scruple  as  to 
the  number  or  quality  of  his  constituents  ;  nor  does  his 
dislike  to  the  present  order  of  things  appear  to  have 
reached  its  utmost  height,  till  the  doors  of  the  house 
had  been  finally  barred  against  him  by  an  act  of  the 
legislature. 

We  are  aware  that  the  character  we  have  been 
drawing,  so  far  as  we  have  hitherto  proceeded  in  the 
delineation,  is  not  particularly  calculated  to  excite  af- 
fection or  respect  ;  yet  we  own  that  we  are  much 
more  inclined  to  regard  this  waste  of  his  talents,  and 
this  perversion  of  his  feelings,  with  regret  and  compas- 
sion, than  with  severity  and  anger.  There  is  nothing 
that  has  so  unfavorable  an  effect  upon  the  heart  and 
the  understanding ;  nothing  that  so  completely  sours 
the  milk  of  human  kindness,  as  long  disappointment, 
and  immoveable  restraint.  By  a  step  taken  so  early 
in  life,  that  he  was  excusable  at  least  if  he  did  not  at 
once  perceive  all  its  consequences;  he  was  debarred 
from  the  fair  exercise  of  those  talents  with  which  he 
was  most  highly  gifted,  and  cut  off  from  the  attainment 
of  those  objects  of  which  he  was  naturally  most  desi- 


108  MEMOIRS   OF 

rous.  We  all  know  the  vast  share  accident  has  in 
forming  the  greatest,  the  wisest,  and  most  virtuous 
men ;  and  we  shall  not  do  justice  to  the  character  of 
Mr.  TooKE,  if  we  blame  him  for  what  he  was,  without 
considering  what,  under  more  propitious  circumstances, 
he  might  have  been.  He  was,  as  we  have  already  had 
occasion  to  remark,  the  enemy  of  almost  all  the  eminent 
men  of  his  time.  But  if  his  fetters  had  been  struck 
off,  if  he  had  been  suffered  to  come  down  into  the 
arena,  and  contend  with  them  upon  equal  terms,  a 
malignant  and  impotent  hostility  might  have  given 
place  to  manly  emulation  and  generous  rivalry. 

Let  us  not,  however,  be  misunderstood  as  meaning 
to  approve  the  conduct   of  those,  who,   having   once 
engaged  in  a  profession,  in  which  the  best  faculties  of 
man  may  be  employed  to  the  best  purpose,  instead  of 
bending  their  minds  to  the  accomplishment  of  its  im- 
portant duties,  waste  their  days  in  unbecoming  endeav- 
OMrs  to  mix  in  struggles  which  they  ought  to  shun,  and 
in  unavailing  aspirations,  after  a  greatness  which  they 
have  renounced.     We  have  only  ventured  to  offer  an 
imperfect  excuse,  arising  from  the  general  weakness  of 
the  human  character,  and  to  plead,  as  it  were,  in  miti- 
gation of  that  heavy  censure,  which  must,  at  any  rate. 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  109 

i'all  upon  talents  idly  wasted,  or  mischievously  misap- 
plied. The  most  finished  specimen  of  his  compo- 
sition is  probably  to  be  found  in  the  two  or  three 
letters  written  in  answer  to  the  attacks  of  Junius :  and 
he  had  the  honor,  which,  in  those  days,  was  deemed 
no  inconsiderable  one,  of  being  the  only  knight  that 
returned  with  his  lance  unbroken  from  a  combat  with 
that  unknown,  but  terrible  champion.  If  he  wants 
the  exquisite  polish,  and  the  brilhant  invective  of  his 
adversary,  that  dexterous  malignity  which  comes  in 
with  such  effect  to  blacken  a  character  by  insinuation, 
after  invective  has  exhausted  its  powers,  and  above  all, 
that  well  sustained  tone  of  austere  dignity,  which  gives 
to  Junius  the  air  and  authority  of  a  great  personage  in 
disguise,  he  is  superior  to  him  in  facility,  vivacity,  and 
that  appearance  of  plainness  and  sincerity,  which  is  of 
such  importance  in  controversial  writings.  The  great 
fault  of  Junius  is  a  sort  of  stifness  and  appearance  of 
labor.  His  compositions  smell  too  much  of  the  lamp. 
He  wanted  nothing  to  be  a  perfect  master  of  his  art, 
but  the  power  of  concealing  it.  Mr.  TooKE's  letters 
have  the  flow,  unity,  and  simplicity  which  belong  to 
writings  struck  off  at  a  heat,  and  which  depend  for 
their  effect,   rather  upon  the  general   powers  of  the 


110  MEMOIRS    OF 

writer,  than  upon  great  nicety  and  labor  in  the  par- 
ticular instance. 

In  justice  to  Junius,  as  a  writer,  we  must  add,  that 
he  was  laboring  under  the  disadvantages  of  a  weak 
case.  It  is  evident  that  he  was  early  and  deeply  sen- 
sible of  his  own  mistake  ;  and  he  was  therefore  glad  to 
put  an  end  to  the  contest  as  soon  as  possible,  even  at 
the  price  of  leaving  his  adversary  in  possession  of  the 
field ;  a  humiliation  to  which  he  would  not  have  sub- 
mitted, but  from  the  conscientiousness  of  his  having 
originally  selected  an  unfavorable  ground. 

In  speaking  of  Mr.  Tooke;'s  intellectual  character, 
we  have  hitherto  omitted  to  notice  one  of  its  most 
striking  features,  the  love  of  paradox ;  a  disposition 
which,  though  the  natural  companion  of  subtlety  and 
ingenuity,  was,  we  believe,  never  found  combined  with 
true  greatness  of  mind.  To  add  to  the  difficulty  of  a 
proposition  by  a  quaint,  unusual  method  of  enunciat- 
ing it ;  to  display  a  vain  dexterity  in  defence  of  an  ac- 
knowledged error;  to  dress  up  truth  in  a  strange  mas- 
querade garb,  in  hopes  that  somebody  will  mistake  her 
for  falsehood — these  are  frivolous,  childish  amusements, 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  Ill 

and  indicative  of  an  unsound,  or  ill-regulated  under- 
standing. No  man  that  possessed  the  reasoning 
power  in  its  full  perfection,  was  ever  willing  to  waste  it 
in  drawing  a  stare  from  ignorance  and  vulgarity :  On 
the  contrary,  those  who  have  contributed  most  to  en- 
large the  bounds  of  human  knowledge,  by  the  disco- 
very of  new  and  important  truths,  have  almost  always 
been  anxious  to  place  them  in  that  point  of  view  in 
which  they  would  give  the  least  possible  alarm,  and 
win  their  way  to  a  general  acceptance  with  the  least 
possible  opposition,  from  the  common  prejudices  and 
feelings  of  the  world.  But  truth  and  error,  as  such, 
were  almost  indifferent  to  Mr.  TooKE.  He  was  more 
a  sophist  than  a  philosopher,  and  was  always  most 
inclined  to  maintain  that  proposition,  whatever  it 
might  be,  that  afforded  him  the  best  opportunity  of 
exhibiting  to  advantage  his  argumentative  acuteness 
and  skill.  He  was  a  sort  of  intellectual  juggler  ;  and 
provided  he  could  keep  the  multitude  gaping  at  the 
dexterity  with  which  he  handled  his  cup  and  balls,  he 
cared  very  little  what  further  effect  the  spectacle  might 
have  upon  their  mind. 

Mr.  ToOKE  was  possessed  of  considerable  learning, 
as  indeed  his  writings  sufficiently  show.      To  other 


112  MEMOIRS    OF 

more  casual  acquirements,  he  united  a  ver}'  extensive 
acquaintance  with  the  Gothic  dialects,  of  which  he 
has  so  copiously  and  so  judiciously  availed  himself  in 
liis  etymological  researches  ;  and  it  seems  probable, 
that  the  leading  ideas  of  his  philosophical  work,  first 
presented  themselves  to  his  mind  whilst  he  was  pursuing 
this  comparatively  unfrequented  track  of  literature.  He 
was  extremely  well  versed  in  the  law  ;  a  science  which 
both  in  theory  and  practice,  was  particularly  congenial 
to  his  mind,  and  which  he  had  once  studied  with  profes- 
sional accuracy,  in  the  hope  of  being  called  to  the  bar. 
We  are  unable  to  state,  with  precision,  what  was  the 
amount  of  his  attainments  in  classical  learning,  but  we 
apprehend  he  by  no  means  possessed  that  accurate 
acquaintance  with  the  literature  of  ancient  Greece  and 
Rome,  which  is  necessary  to  constitute  a  great  scholar 
in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  term.  He  was 
familiar  with  all  our  best  writers,  most  so  with  those  of 
an  early  date.  His  knowledge  of  modern  languages 
was  considerable,  and  he  was  particularly  well  read  in 
Italian  authors.  On  the  whole,  exclusively  of  philo- 
sophy and  politics,  he  would  have  passed  for  a  very 
accomphshed  man. 

One  of  the  taxes  which  men  pay  for  being  eminent, 


JOHN    HORNE   TOOKE.  113 

Is  to  have  their  private,  as  well  as  their  public  conduct, 
made  the  subject  of  criticism  ;  we  shall  therefore  offer 
no  apology  for  adding  a  few  such  remarks  as  our  infor- 
mation enables  us  to  supply  upon  that  of  Mr,  Tooke. 
In  the  essential,  particulars  of  truth,  honor,  and  jus- 
tice, in  all  that,  in  a  popular  sense,  forms  the  moral- 
ity of  a  gentleman ;  he  stood,  we  believe,  unimpeach- 
ed — at  least  no  charge  against  him  for  the  violation  of 
it  was  ever  substantiated,  although  he  lived  for  half  a 
century  exposed  to  the  public  eye,  and  beset  by  the 
vigilant  hostility  of  active  and  powerful  enemies.  His 
great  fault,  as  a  private  man,  was  a  libertinism  in  his 
habits  and  discourse,  which  ill  became  his  character, 
his  profession,  and  latterly,  his  age.  It  may  seem  an 
uncharitable  suspicion,  but  we  are  really  afraid  that  the 
tendency  of  which  we  complain,  was  rather  increased 
than  checked  by  the  profession,  to  which,  however  un- 
willingly, he  belonged.  He  had  a  sort  of  spite  at  all 
its  restraints.  Many  of  them  he  never  could  throw 
ofi':  but  he  was  anxious  to  show  that  in  licentiousness, 
at  least,  he  could  be  a  layman. 

In  the  ordinary  intercourse  of  life,  he  was  kind, 
friendly,  and  hospitable.  We  doubt  whether  his  tem- 
per was  naturally  good ;  but  if  it  was  not,  he  had 

15 


114  MEMOIRS    OF 

a  merit  the  more ;  for  he  had  so  completely  subdued 
it  by  care  and  self-control,  as  never  to  betray,  under 
any  provocation,  the  slightest  mark  of  that  irritability 
which  often  accompanies  talent,  and  which  gains  so 
rapidly  upon  those  who  know  not  how  to  guard  against 
its  approaches.  Indeed,  the  aspect  under  which  he 
appeared  in  private,  was  by  no  means  such  as  the  stern 
cynicism  and  ferocious  turbulence  of  his  public  conduct 
would  have  led  one  to  expect ;  and  those,  whose  opi- 
nion of  him  has  been  formed  exclusively  upon  his 
political  character  and  his  writings,  will  have  some 
difficulty  in  believing  that  the  curate  of  Brentford 
was  one  of  the  best  bred  gentlemen  of  the  age.  In 
this  respect,  he  was  a  sort  of  phenomenon.  He  was 
born  in  a  low  station  :  at  no  period  did  he  appear  to 
have  possessed  any  remarkable  advantages  for  the 
study  of  good  breeding :  on  the  contrary,  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  was  spent  in  constant  intercourse  with 
coarse,  vulgar,  and  uneducated  men.  Yet  his  natural 
taste  was  so  good,  and  he  had  profited  so  judiciously 
by  whatever  opportunities  he  enjoyed,  that  courts  and 
high  stations  have  seldom  produced  a  better  example 
of  polite  and  elegant  behaviour,  than  was  exhibited  by 
the  associate  of  Messrs.  Hardy  and  Thelwell.  Indeed, 
his  manner  had  almost  every  excellence  that  manner 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  115 

can  display — grace,  vivacity,  frankness,  dignity.  Per- 
haps, indeed,  in  its  outward  forms,  and  in  that  which 
is  purely  conventional,  his  courtesy  wore  the  air  of  the 
*vieille  cour,^  and  was  rather  more  elaborate  than  is 
consistent  with  the  practice  of  this  lounging  uncere- 
monious age,  but  it  was  never  forced  or  constrained, 
and  it  sat  not  ungracefully  upon  an  old  man. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

It  has  been  remarked  of  some  very  eminent  men, 
that  either  from  bashfuhiess,  or  pride,  or  indifference, 
or  want  of  ready  command  of  tlieir  faculties,  their 
conversation  frequently  disappointed  the  expectations 
which  their  character  had  raised.  Mr.  TooKE  was 
not  of  that  class.  He  never  appeared  to  greater  ad- 
vantage than  in  conversation.  He  was  naturally  of  a 
social  and  convivial  turn.  His  animal  spirits  were 
strong — the  promptitude  of  his  understanding  was  equal 
to  its  vigor,  and  he  was  by  no  means  too  proud  to 
receive,  with  satisfaction,  the  small,  but  immediate  re- 
ward of  approbation  artd  good  will,  which  is  always 
cheerfully  paid  to  the  display  of  agreeable  qualities  in 
society.  A  long,  attentive,  and  acute  observation  of 
the  world  had  furnished  him  with  a  vast  store  of  infor- 
mation and  remark,  which  he  was  always  ready  to 
communicate,  but  never  desirous  to  obtrude  upon  his 
hearers.     The  events  of  his  political  life  had  brought 


118  MEMOIRS   OF 

him  into  personal  intercourse  with  many  of  the  most 
considerable  men  of  his  time,  and  he  was  minutely  ac- 
quainted with  the  history  of  them  all.  It  is  true,  in- 
deed, as  we  have  already  had  occasion  to  observe,  that 
few  of  the  number  had  the  fortune  to  be  the  objects 
of  his  regard  or  approbation  ;  and  as  candor  was  not 
a  virtue  he  much  affected,  it  was  therefore  necessary 
to  receive  his  account  of  their  actions  and  character 
with  all  imaginable  caution  and  allowance. 

But  if  he  was  not  a  faithful  portrait  painter,  he  was 
at  least  an  admirable  caricaturist,  which,  for  the  pur- 
poses of  mere  entertainment,  did  quite  as  well  :  and 
it  must  be  owned  that  his  representations,  though  harsh 
and  unfavorable,  always  bore  a  striking  and  amusing 
resemblance  to  the  originals.  Viewed  alone,  they 
would  have  conveyed  a  very  erroneous  idea ;  but  they 
were  by  no  means  without  their  use  in  correcting  the 
impressions  which  had  been  made  by  more  friendly,  but 
equally  unfaithful  artists.  He  possessed  an  inexhaus- 
tible fund  of  anecdotes,  which  he  introduced  with  great 
skill,  and  related  with  neatness,  grace,  rapidity  and 
pleasantry.  He  had  a  quick  sense  of  the  ridiculous, 
and  was  a  great  master  of  the  whole  art  of  raillery : 
a  dangerous  talent,  though  the  exercise  of  it  in  his 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  119 

hands,  was  always  tempered  by  politeness  and  good 
humour.  No  man,  we  believe,  ever  provoked  him  by 
hostile  attack,  without  having  reason  to  repent  his 
rashness.  He  was  possessed  of  all  the  means  that 
could  make  retort  terrible  ; — ready  poignant  wit,  per- 
fect composure  and  self-command,  boldness,  confirmed 
by  the  habit  of  victory,  in  that  species  of  combat,  and 
a  heartfelt  bitterness,  which,  when  he  was  once  eman- 
cipated by  the  indiscretion  of  his  adversary,  from  those 
restraints  which  good  breeding  imposed,  poured  itself 
forth  in  a  torrent  of  keen,  unsparing,  irresistible  in- 
vective. But  these  severe  chastisements  were  but 
rarely  inflicted  ;  never,  we  believe,  except  when  pro- 
voked by  some  signal  instance  of  folly  or  impertinence 
in  his  opponent. 

His  fault,  as  a  companion,  was  that  love  of  paradox 
which  we  have  already  mentioned,  and  a  tendency  to 
disputation,  which  led  him  continually  to  argue  for  the 
mere  sake  of  victory,  and  in  evident  contradiction  to 
his  own  real  opinion ;  a  practice  quite  insufferable 
when  adopted,  as  it  often  is,  by  persons  of  ordinary 
understanding,  and  who  only  flatter  themselves  that 
they  possess  the  acuteness  with  which  Mr.  TooKE 
was  really  endowed,  and  to  which,  we  must  own,  that 


120  MEMOIRS   OF 

even  his  liveliness,    native  ingenuity,    and  felicity  of 
illustration,  could  never  wholly  reconcile  us. 

He  possessed  a  rich  vein  of  humour,  sometimes 
coarse,  but  always  striking,  comic,  and  original.  His 
speeches  afforded  some  good  specimens  of  it  to  the 
public,  and  he  indulged  in  it  still  more  freely  in  pri- 
vate. Perhaps,  indeed,  it  may  be  fairly  objected  to 
him,  that  his  conversation  was  hardly  ever  quite 
serious ;  and  that,  what  with  paradox,  and  what  with 
irony,  it  was  not  easy  to  get  at  his  true  meaning. 
The  truth  seems  to  be,  that  he  comforted  himself  for 
not  having  a  larger  share  in  the  business  of  the  world, 
by  laughing  at  every  body  and  every  thing  it  contain- 
ed. His  sceptical  disposition  probably  kept  his  mind 
unsettled  upon  many  important  facts,  as  to  which,  the 
generahty  of  men  entertain  more  fixed  opinions,  and 
he  was  therefore  ready  to  espouse  either  side  with 
equal  zeal  and  equal  insincerity,  just  as  accident  or 
caprice  inclined  him  at  the  moment. 

There  were  other  subjects  on  which  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  speak  more  positively,  but  on  which  we  are 
apt  to  suspect  that  his  exoteric  doctrines  were  very  dif- 
ferent from  those  which  he  taught  to  aldermen,  shoe- 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  121 

makers,  and  other  patriotic  persons.  On  such  occa- 
sions, he  could  not  have  been  in  earnest.  He  must 
have  seen  through  the  designs  of  those  with  whom  he 
was  acting — he  must  have  loathed  their  vulgarity — he 
must  have  despised  their  folly.  We  are  aware  how 
severe  a  censure  upon  his  honesty  this  opinion  implies, 
but  we  really  think  that  a  fair  estimate  of  the  strength 
of  his  understanding  can  lead  to  no  other  conclusion. 

He  was  endowed  with  every  species  of  courage, 
active  and  passive,  personal  and  political.  Even  his 
adversaries  allowed  him  this  merit.  We  recollect,  that, 
in  the  year  1 794,  at  the  time  of  the  State  Trials,  when 
it  was  falsely  reported,  that  upon  being  committed  to 
the  Tower,  his  spirit  had  failed,  and  he  had  burst  into 
tears  ;  Wilkes  expressed  great  surprise,  and  said,  '  I 
knew  he  was  a  knave,  but  I  never  thought  him  a 
coward.'  It  is  only  to  be  regretted  that  he  found  no 
better  opportunities  for  the  display  of  so  valuable  a 
quality,  than  in  election  riots,  and  trials  for  sedition 
and  treason. 

In  spite  of  labor  and  dissipation,  his  life  was  pro- 
tracted to  a  period  which  indicated  an  originally 
sound  and  vigorous  frame.     For  the  last  twenty  years, 

16 


122  MEMOIRS   OF 

however,  he  was  subject  to  several  severe,  distressing", 
and  incurable  infirmities ;  these  he  bore  with  a  patience 
and  firmness  whicii  it  was  impossible  not  to  admire  : 
to  the  very  last  he   never  suffered   himself  to  be  bent 
down  by  them,  nor  ever  for  one  moment  indulged  in 
complaint,  or  gave  way  to  despondency.     In  the  inter- 
vals of  pain,  nay,  even  when  actually  suffering  under 
it,  he  preserv^ed  a  self-command,  which  enabled  him  to 
converse   not   only  with   spirit  and  vigor,  but  with  all 
his    accustomed    cheerfulness    and    pleasantry;    never 
making  any  demand  upon  the  sympathy  of  his  friends, 
or   mentioning  his  own  situation  at  all,   except  when 
occasionally,  and  by  a  very  pardonable  exercise  of  his 
sophistry,   he  am<!sed  himself  in  exalting  its  comforts, 
and  explaining  away  its  disadvantages ;  displaying  in 
this  respect  a  manly  spirit,  and  a  practical  philosophy, 
which,  if  they  had  been  brought  to  bear  upon  his  moral, 
as  well   as   upon    his  physical   condition,   if  they  had 
been  employed  with  as  much  effect  in  reconciling  him 
to   his   political   exclusion  as  to  his  bodily  sufferings, 
might  have  produced,  not  the  very  imperfect  character 
we  have  been  attempting  to  delineate,  in   which   the 
unfavorable  traits  bear  so  large  a  proportion  to  those 
of  a  nob'  r  and  more  benign  cast,   but   the  venerable 
portrait  of  a  truly  wise  and  virtuous  man. 


JOHN    HORNE   TOOKE.  123 

Such  is  the  character  given  of  Mr.  TooKE  by  the 
editors  of  the  Quarterly  Review.  This  periodical  has 
been  long  known  as  the  ministerial  paper. — The  organ 
and  mouth-piece  of  the  high  Tory  party  of  England. 

It  will  be  seen,  upon  examination,  that  every  trait  of 
character  which  is  stated  by  them  to  belong  peculiarly 
to    HoRNE   ToOKE,   is   equally  applicable  to   Junius, 
and  form  an  identity  of  character  between  them. 

The  skill  of  Junius  in  composition — of  his  power 
of  sarcasm — his  strong  personalities — his  vehemence 
against  those  whom  he  considered  public  delinquents 
— his  confidence  and  assured  reliance  upon  his  own 
intellectual  resources — his  contempt  of  his  opponents 
— of  his  hatred  of  certain  great  men — are  all  as  clearly 
described  of  Horne  Tooke,  as  though  the  writer  had 
had  the  intention  of  drawing  a  perfect  pai-allel. 

As  a  further  corroboration  of  this  general  argument 
of  probability,  as  drawn  from  the  parallel  characters  of 
»  Tooke  and  Junius,  we  will  produce  the  evidence  of  a 
person,  who  in  this  matter,  at  least,  should  be  consider- 
ed a  competent  witness.  This  shall  be  the  testimony 
©f  Sir  Philip  Francis,  given  on  the  trial  of  Mr.  TooKE> 


124  MEMOIRS   OF 

for  high  treason,  in  the  year  1794,  and  it  is  doubly  im- 
portant, inasmuch  as  it  goes  totally  to  destroy  Sir 
Philip  Francis'  claims,  while,  at  the  same  time,  it  is 
"  confirmation  strong  as  holy  writ,"  in  favor  of  JoHN 
HORNE  TOOKE. 


STATE  TRIALS,  Vol.  25,  pages  371,  372. 

Philip  Francis,  Esq.  (afterwards  Sir  Philip  Francis, 

K.  B.,)    sworn Examined  by  Mr.   Erskine — Yon 

are  a  member   of  the  society  called  the  Friends  of  the 
People  f     1  am. 

I  believe  you  took  the  trouble  to  draw  up  the  plan 
of  reform  to  be  submitted  to  that  society  ?     1  did. 

Have  you  that  plan  here  .''     Not  in  court. 

After  you  had  prepared  that  plan  of  a  reform  in  the 
House  of  Commons,  and  submitted  it  to  the  considera- 
tion of  this  voluntary  society,  of  which  we  are  both 
members,  do  you  remember  seeing  Mr.  TooKE  ? 
Yes. 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  125 

How   long   ago  ?      In  the   course   of  the  summer 
of  1793. 

Upon   what    occasion   was    it   that   you    saw   Mr. 
TooKE  ?     Though  I  liad  not  the  honor  or  the  plea- 
sure of  an  intimacy  with  Mr.  TooKE,    I  had  known 
him  long  slightly,  and  even  of  that  slight  acquaintance, 
there  were  many  intervals  in  which  1  never   saw  him. 
Upon  the  occasion  of  my  having  drawn  up  the  plan, 
to  which  a  former  question  alludes,  I  met  Mr.  ToOKE 
by  accident,  in  my  road  to  town,  (he  lives  near  me  in 
the  country,)   knowing,  or  believing  him  to  be  at  all 
times  a  strenuous  advocate  for  a  reform  of  the  House 
of  Commons,  ajid  knowing  him  to  have  been  one  of  the 
most  learned  men  in    the  kingdom,  particularly  with 
respect  to  the  points  to  which  that  plan  had  reference, 
namely,  the  antiquities^   the  history  and  constitution  of 
this  country,  1  thought  I   could  not  do  a  better  thing 
for  the  object  which  I  had  in  view,  or  any  thing  more 
expedient  for  my  own  instruction,  than  to  ask  the  favor 
of  him,  which  I  did,  to  examine  this  plan  particularly; 
to  inform  me  if  any  of  the  references,   or  any  of  the 
authorities,  or  any  of  the  laws  and  customs  to  which 
the  plan  alludes,  were  misstated,  as  likely  they  might 
be,  by  a  person  so  little  informed,  or  much  less  in- 


126  MEftlOIRS    OF 

formed  upon  these  subjects :  that  he  would  have  the 
goodness  to  examine  it  attentively.     I  did   not  desire 
to  discuss  the    principles   of  it  with  him    at   all,    but 
merely  that  he  would  be  so  good  as  to  examine  it  with 
respect  to  authorities  and  references,  and  upon  this,  to 
inform  me  if  I  had  incorrectly  stated  any  thing  :  he 
said  he  would  undertake  to  do  that  for  me,  and  that 
he  would  make  some  observations  upon  it,    in  conse- 
quence of  which,  1  called  upon  him  three  or  lour  times 
at  his   house  at  Wimbledon,   and  I  availed  myself  of 
the  information  he  gave  me,  and  corrected  my  plan  in 
some  particulars, 

Philip  Francis,  Esq.  examined  by  Mr.  TooKE. 

You  have  been  asked  whether  you  discussed  with  me 
the  plan  which  you  had  proposed  for  a  reform  in  parlia- 
ment. You  answered,  I  think,  you  had  not  discussed 
it  with  me.  Will  your  recollection  lead  you  to  say 
that  we  did  not  discuss  that  plan  together  ?  I  stated, 
that,  in  applying  to  Mr.  Tooke  for  his  assistance,  it 
was  not  with  a  view  to  discuss  the  principle,  for,  upon 
that  my  mind  was  formed,  but  to  receive  information 
and  correction,  if  1  had  misstated  any  thing  respecting 
the  authorities  and  references. 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  127 

Lord    Chief  Justice    Eyre. The  question  Mr. 

HoRNE  ToOKE  puis  to  you  now  is,  whether,  in  fact, 
in  the  course  of  your  conversations,  you  did  enter  into 
any  discussion  of  the  plan  with  him  f  It  is  very  likely 
we  might. 

Mr.  TooKE — does  your  recollection  carry  you  far 
enough  to  know  whether,  in  the  course  of  the  summer 
of  1 793,  you  visited  me  once,  twice,  thrice,  or  oftener  ? 
I  cannot  be  positive  to  the  number  of  times  ;  it  was 
convenient  to  me,  in  that  part  of  the  country,  to  call 
upon  Mr.  Tooke  ;  it  might  be  four  or  five  timeS; 
perhaps,  in  the  course  of  the  summer  or  autumn. 

Might  it  not  be  five  or  six  times  ?     It  might. 


Now,  upon  this  evidence,  several  arguments  arise, 
which  are  of  consequence  to  this  investigation. 

The  first  and  most  obvious,  is  the  unqualified  admis- 
sion by  Sir  Philip  Francis  of  Mr.  Tooke's  superior 
learning  and  ability.  He  speaks  of  him  as  a  man 
universally  acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  most  learn- 


t 

128  MEMOIRS    OF 

ed  men  in  the  kingdom  in  "  the  antiquities,  history  and 
constitution  of  the  country,"  and  with  this  opinion, 
admits  he  applied  to  him  to  revise,  correct,  and  sug- 
gest alterations  in  the  plan  of  parliamentary  reform, 
which  he  (Sir  Philip)  had  drawn  up.  There  cannot, 
in  my  opinion,  be  a  more  decisive  internal  argument 
than  this  against  Sir  Philips'  identity  with  Junius, 
nor  a  more  strong  presumptive  evidence  of  the  superior 
claims  of  Mr.  TooKE.  Is  it  not  infinitely  more  pro- 
bable that  Junius  was  the  man  applied  to,  to  correct 
and  modify  a  plan  of  reform,  than  that  he  should  ask 
advice  and  assistance  from  another  ? 

Twenty  years  before,  Junius  had  submitted  a  plan 
for  reform  to  the  "  supporters  of  the  Bill  of  Rights," 
which  plan  coincides  with  the  views  of  Mr.  TooKE. 
Is  it  then  within  the  probabilities  of  human  action, 
that  Sir  Philip,  upon  the  supposition  that  he  was  Junius, 
should  have  needed  the  assistance  of  one  comparatively 
unknown  to  him,  to  modify  a  plan,  which  had  for 
twenty  years  been  the  subject  of  his  own  labors  and 
reflection  ?  And  on  the  other  hand,  is  it  not  a  more 
rational  and  natural  conclusion  to  prefer  between  these 
two  men,  that  man  to  whom  the  application  was  made 


JOHN    HORNE   TOOKE.  129 

for  assistance,  who  had  estabhshed  such  a  character 
for  learning,  as  to  be  pronounced  one  of  the  ablest 
men  in  the  kingdom  ? 

Him,  who  has  vindicated  his  claims  to  sufficient 
ability,  to  have  been  the  writer  twenty  years  before,  to 
the  man  who  comes  after  the  lapse  of  twenty  years,  for 
assistance  on  that  very  subject  ? 

The  next  observation  arises  upon  the  admission  of 
Sir  Philip  Francis,  that  Mr.  Tooke's  views  of  parlia- 
mentary reform  coincided  with  his  own. 
« 

Now,  as  Mr.  Taylor  has  very  elaborately  and  inge- 
niously proved,  that  the  opinions  of  Sir  Philip  and 
Junius  coincided,  I  cannot  but  infer  upon  the  axiom, 
that  things  that  are  equal  to  the  same  thing,  are  equal 
to  one  another.  That  this  argument  is  as  strong  for 
Mr.  TooKE  as  for  Mr.  Francis,  and  shall  therefore, 
without  further  labor,  take  it  henceforth  for  granted, 
(what  I  have  found  upon  examination,  and  learn  from 
Mr.  Taylor  and  Sir  Philip)  that  in  the  constitutional 
principles  of  Mr.  TooKE  and  Junius,  there  is  no 
discrepancy. 


17 


CHAPTER  VII. 

It  seems  hazardous  to  assert,  but  it  is  nevertheless 
true,  that  one  of  the  circumstances  which  makes  it 
difficuh  to  prove  that  HoRNE  was  Junius,  does  (when 
added  to  other  circumstances)  strengthen  the  proba- 
biUty.  This  circumstance  is  the  fewness  of  his  avowed 
productions,  and  the  scantiness  of  our  means  of  com- 
parison. His  philological  work,  "  The  Diversions  of 
Purley,"  and  a  few  of  his  speeches,  reported  by  others, 
and  unauthentic  in  form ;  and  his  correspondence  with 
Wilkes  and  Junius,  form  nearly  the  whole  of  his  ac- 
knowledged writings.  From  grammatical  discussions, 
and  meager  reports,  little  aid  could  be  expected,  on 
an  analytical  comparison  of  style ;  especially  styles  so 
apparently  different,  as  the  free,  open,  and  off-hand 
manner  of  Mr.  Horne,  and  the  studiously  disguised 
and  labored  style  of  Junius. 

It  is  not  probable  that  Junius  was  either  an  author 


132  MEMOIRS   OF 

by  profession,  or  in  the  habit  of  writing  books  or  pam- 
phlets, to  any  extent.  This  holds  true,  both  of  anony- 
mous and  acknowledged  compositions ;  for  a  number 
of  publications,  bearing  the  same  extraordinary  tone  of 
mind,  and  cogency  of  argument,  with  or  without  the 
author's  name,  would  infallibly  have  been  traced  to  the 
same  pen,  and  would  each  form  another  link  in  the 
chain  of  evidence,  by  which  the  author  was  to  be  reach- 
ed. Had  Junius,  therefore,  been  an  author  by  habit, 
and  had  published  openly,  other,  perhaps  harmless 
works,  without  the  same  motive  for  mystery,  he  would 
have  been  discovered  and  identified  beyond  doubt. 

This  argument  directly  impugns  the  claims  of  most 
of  the  candidates,  whose  preliminaries  have  hitherto 
been  considered  probable  ;  especially  those  of  Burke, 
and  Sir  Philip  Francis,  while  it  strengthens  those  of 
HoRNE.  From  the  few  productions  of  Mr.  Horne, 
which  have  survived  the  temporary  interest  of  party 
politics,  I  shall  produce  some  passages  which  favor  his 
claim. 

In  an  anonymous  pamphlet,  which  he  published  in 
1765,  there  is  much  of  the  personality  oi  Junius;  much  of 
his  bitter  sarcasm  and  blackening  insinuation,  added  to 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  133 

the  same  fierceness  of  invective.  It  is  also  remarkable, 
as  evincing  the  same  dislike  to  the  Scotch,  which  Junius 
afterwards  so  singularly  avowed.  It  is  directed  against 
the  earls  Bute  and  Mansfield,  and  dedicated  "  to  the 
right  honorable,  truly  noble,  and  truly  Scottish  lords, 
Mortimer  and  Jefferies  ;" — entitled,  "The  petition  of 
an  Englishman  ;"  with  which  are  given  a  copper-plate 
of  the  Croix  of  St.  Pillory,  and  a  true  and  accurate 
plan  of  a  part  of  Kew  Gardens.  Thus  boldly  he 
addresses  the  King. — "  And  since,  by  you,  the  Eng- 
lish name  is  now  melted  down  to  Briton,  and  liberty 
wrested  from  our  hands,  it  is  with  great  propriety, 
trusted  to  the  keeping  of  Scotch  justices  and  court 
boroughs.  Leave  us  not  naked  of  every  honorable 
distinction.  Give  us  this  badge,  in  lieu  of  what  you 
have  taken  from  us,  that  we  afford  a  striking  proof  to 
some  future  Montesquieu,  how  true  it  is,  that  the  spirit 
of  liberty  may  survive  the  constitution." 

"  For  your  lordships,  (Bute  and  Mansfield)  no  doubt 
have  somewhere  read,  that  truth,  if  it  is  a  virtue,  is  a 
virtue  like  the  plague  ;  having  too  often  the  quality  of 
making  us  generally  shunned  and  avoided.  Wisely, 
therefore,  do  your  lordships,  to  prevent  spreading  the 


134  MEMOIRS   OF 

infection,  send  it  to  perform  quarantine  in  the  King's 
Bench." 

"  You  have  a  precedent  in  Cade,  and  for  the  justifi- 
cation of  any  infamous  and  dirty  business,  it  is  at  pre- 
sent sufficient,  that  there  is  a  precedent ;  even  I,  my 
countrymen,  who  now  address  myself  to  you  :  I,  who 
am  at  present  blessed  with  peace,  with  happiness  and 
independence,  a  fair  character,  and  an  easy  fortune, 
am,  at  this  moment,  forfeiting  them  all." 

This  pamphlet  had  the  singular  good  fortune  to  es- 
cape prosecution  as  a  hbel,  though  some  parts  of  it 
are  quite  as  severe  and  offensive  as  Junius^  subsequent 
letter  to  the  king. 

In  the  next  year,  (1766,)  Mr.  Horne  wrote  that 
notorious  letter  to  Mr.  Wilkes — the  indiscretion  of 
which,  with  Mr.  Wilkes'  unpardonable  breach  of  faith, 
afterwards  brought  so  many  reproaches  upon  him. 
One  of  the  paragraphs  has  the  very  manner  o{  Junius, 
and  another  shows  the  singular  readiness  with  which, 
even  at  this  early  period,  Mr.  Horne  became  ac- 
quainted witli  the  secrets  of  government.  1  quote 
them  both  : — 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  133 

"  You  are  now  entering  into  a  correspondence  with 
a  parson — and  I  am  greatly  apprehensive  lest  that 
title  should  disgust ;  but  give  me  leave  to  assure  you, 
1  am  not  ordained  a  hypocrite.  It  is  true,  1  have  suffer- 
ed the  infectious  hand  of  a  Bishop  to  be  waved  over 
me,  whose  imposition,  like  the  Sop  given  to  Judas,  is 
only  a  signal  for  the  devil  to  enter." 

"  I  have  this  moment  seen  a  letter  from  England, 
that  tells  me  that  Fitzherbert  has  sent  you  a  power  to 
draw  on  him  for  the  amount  of  JGIOOO  a-year." 

The  last  extract  is  singular,  for  it  shows  how  accu- 
rate was  Mr.  Horne's  intelligence,  at  that  distance,  of 
circumstances  which  were  absolute  mysterious  to  the 
uninitiated  at  home.  This  negociation  of  Mr.  Wilkes 
with  the  Rockingham  administration,  was  true  in  all  the 
particulars,  and  the  sum  of  j£lOOO  a-year  was  raised 
by  contribution  from  the  salaries  of  those  in  place. 
This  fact  also  accords  with  the  extraordinary  means 
of  information  afterwards  possessed  by  Junius.  In 
addition  to  his  after  connection  with  the  leading  politi- 
cians of  the  day,  a  clue  to  Mr.  HoRNEs'  means  of 
court  information,  may  be  discovered  in  the  follow- 


136  JMEMOIRS    OF 

ing  circumstance,  narrated  by  Mr.  Stephens,  VoL  2, 
page  229 : — 

"  This  election,  during  which  the  poll  continued 
open  for  a  fortnight,  cost  the  other  candidates  a  very 
large  sum  of  money.  And  it  proved  also  expensive 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  HoRiNE  TooKE,  who  spent  nearly 
a  thousand  pounds  on  the  occasion ;  however,  the 
charge  was  not  borne  by  him,  for  he  has  assured  me 
frequently,  theit  the  money  had  been  previously  pre- 
sented to  him  by  a  man  of  considerable  rank  ;  who,  as 
well  as  his  family,  was  apparently  well  received  at  court, 
whei-e  he  proved  a  constant  attendant." 

Who  this  nobleman  was  we  are  not  informed,  but  it 
is  a  fair  inference,  that  he  was  (for  he  well  might  have 
been)  a  source  of  court  information  to  Mr.  HoRNE. 

Mr.  HoRNE  was,  in  the  year  1769,  as  I  have  men- 
tioned in  his  memoirs,  involved  in  a  legal  controversy 
with  Mr.  Onslow,  in  consequence  of  the  following 
letter,  which  we  insert,  for  its  extraordinary  resembl- 
ance to  Junitcs, 


JOHN   HORNE    TOOKE.  137 

Stephens,  Fol.  1,  p.  128. 

TO   THE   RIGHT   HON.   GEORGE   ONSLOW, 

Good  Sir, 

"  If,  with  another  innocerit  man.  Lord  Holland,  yoli 
too,  were  ambitious  to  add  to  the  list  of  Mr.  Walpole's 
right  honorable  authors,  you  might,  like  him,  have 
exposed  yourself  with  more  temper,  and  have  called 
names  in  better  English. 

"  I  should  be  sorry  to  libel  you  by  mistaking  your 
meaning,  but  the  strange  manner  of  wording  your  first 
sentence  leaves  me  at  a  loss  to  know  whether  you  in- 
tend that  my  letter,   or your  own  character  '  is  a 

gross  and  infamous  lie  from  beginning  to  end.' 

You  may  save  yourself  the  expense  of  taking  'the 
best  advice  in  the  law.'  Depend  upon  it,  you  can 
never  '  hope  to  make  an  exauiple  of  the  author,  when 
the  publisher  is  unable  or  unwilling  to  give  up  his 
name.'  And  you  need  not  wait  for  a  jury  to  deter- 
mine, that  '  robbing  a  man  is  certainly  a  rolibery.' 
But  you  should  have  considered,  some  months  since, 

18 


138  MEMOIRS    OP 

that  it  is  the  same  thing  whether  the  man  be  guilty  o? 
innocent ;  and  whether  he  be  robbed  of  his  reputation 
or of  his  seat  in  parliament. 

"  In  the  Pubhc  Advertiser  of  Friday,  July  14,  there 
is  a  letter  from  you  as  well  as  to  you.  If  that  is  the 
scurrility  you  speak  of,  I  agree  with  you,  that  it  has 
been  treated  with  the  contempt  it  deserves  by  all  the 
world  ;  but  how  you  can  say  that  it  has  passed  with 
impunity,  I  own  1  cannot  conceive,  unless,  indeed,  you 
are  of  opinion  with  those  hardened  criminals  who  think 
that,  because  there  is  no  corporal  sufferance  in  it,  the 
being  gibbetted  in  chains,  and  exposed  as  a  spectacle, 
makes  no  part  of  their  punishment, 

"  The  letter  written  by  you  to  Mr.  Wilkes,  tends 
more  'to  wound  your  character  and  honor'  than  any 
other,  and  yet  you  pass  it  over  in  silence.  But  you 
shall,  if  you  please,  prove  to  the  world,  that  those  who 
have  neither  character  nor  honor,  may  still  be  wound- 
ed in  a  very  tender   part their   interest.     And  I 

believe  Lord  Hillsborough  is  too  noble  to  suffer  any 
lord  of  the  treasury  to  prostitute  his  name  and  commis- 
sion to  bargains  like  that  I  have  exposed  ;  but  will,  if 
he  contiimes  to  preside  at  the  board  of  trade,  resolute- 


JOHN   IIORNE   TOOKE.  139 

iy  insist  either  on  such  lord's  full  justification  or  dis- 
mission. Hinc  illce  Lachryma. 

"  You  '  defy  the  whole  world  to  prove  a  single 
word  in  my  letter  to  be  ti-ue  ;  or  that  the  whole  is  not 
a  barefaced,  positive,  and  entire  lie/  The  language 
of  the  last  part  of  this  sentence  is  such  as  1  can  make 
no  use  of,  and  therefore  I  return  it  back  on  you  to 
whom  it  belongs :  the  defiance  in  the  first  part  1  accept 
and  will  disprove  what  you  say. 

"  My  letter  can  only  be  false  in  one  particular,  for 
it  contains  only  one  affirmation,  namely,  that  I  heard 
the  story  I  relate  from  very  good  authority.  It  then 
concludes  with  a  question  to  you  of — who  is  this  lord 
of  the  treasury  that  so  abhors  corruption  ?  Which 
question,  since  you  have  answered,  1  too  will  gratify 
you,  and,  in  return  for  yours,  do  hereby  direct  the 
printer  to  give  you  my  name  ;  which,  humble  as  it  is, 
1  should  not  consent  to  exchange  with  you  in  any 
other  manner. 

"  Now,  sir,  I  do  again  affirm,  that  I  heard  the  story 
from  the  best  authority  :  and  that  it  is  not  my  invention, 
your  own  letter  is  a  proof,  for  I  might  have  heard  it 


140  MEMOIRS   OF 

either  from  Mrs.  Burns,  or  from  Mr.  Pownall,  or  Mr. 
Bradshaw,  but  1  heard  it  from  better  autliority.  I  go 
further,  I  do  still  believe  the  story,  as  I  related  it,  to 
be  true  ;  nor  has  any  thing  you  have  said  convinced 
Uie  to  the  contrary.  I  do  not  mean  to  charge  you  or 
any  one  ;  but  since  you  have  condescended  to  answer 
my  former  question,  be  kind  enough  to  explain  what 
follows  : — 

"  Mr.  Pownall  is  secretary  to  the  board  of  trade. 
Mr.  Bradshaw  is  secretary  to  the  treasury.  Why  did 
these  secretaries  come  together  to  you  ?  Were  they  sent 
by  their  principals  or  not  ?  Who  first  detected  this  very 
scandalous,  though  very  common  trajSic .''  Has  not 
Lord  Hillsborough  that  honor  ?  And  is  not  your  exag- 
gerated '  abhorrence  of  corruption,  your  astonishment, 
and  indeed  horror  at  this  shocking  scene  of  villiany,' 
vastly  heightened  by  the  cahn,  and  therefore  unsuspect- 
ed disapprobation  of  his  lordship  ;  who  does  not  seem 
to  think  with  you,  that  every  whore  should  be  hanged 
alive ;  but  only  that  they  should  be  turned  out  of 
iionest  company. 

"  How  came  you  so  instantly  to  entertain  hopes  of 
getting  the  money  restored  to  Mrs.  Burns  .''   when  you 


JOHN   HORNE   TOGKE.  141 

d<.Tlared,  tliat  '  till  that  morninp;,  you  never  in  yonr 
life  heard  a  single  word  of  either  the  office  itself,  nor 
of  any  of  the  parties  conceinied.'  Jonathan  Wild  used 
to  return  such  answers,  because  he  knew  the  theft  was 
committed  by  some  of  his  own  gang. 

"  You  pretend  to  have  given  to  the  public  '  all  the 
knowledge  you  have  of  this  detestable  fraud.'  I  can- 
not believe  it,  because  I  find  nothing  in  your  letter  on 
which  to  ground  your  hopes  of  restoring  the  money  to 
Mrs.  Burns ;  and,  especially,  because  in  three  weeks 
after  this  letter,  i.  e.  from  June  27,  to  July  18,  you 
have  only  discovered,  that  '  Mrs.  Smith  appears  to  be 
principally  concerned  in  this  detestable  fraud,  the 
money  being,  it  seems,  for  her  use.'  Sir,  do  you  not 
know  whose  Mrs.  Smith  is  ?  And  are  you  not  acquaint- 
ed with  that  gentleman  ?  Have  you  caused  Mrs.  Smith, 
or  any  one  else,  to  be  taken  into  custody  ?  Have  you 
taken  '  the  best  advice  in  the  law,  and  are  you  deter- 
mined to  see  if  a  jury  will  not  do  you  and  the  public 
justice'  for  this  detestable  fraud  ?  Or  is  there  yet  left 
one  crime  which  you  abhor  more  than  corruption ; 
and  for  which  you  reserve  all  your  indignation  ?  But 
why  this  anger  ?  He  that  is  innocent  can  easily  prove 
liimself  to  be  so ;  and  should  be  thankful  to  those  who 


y 


i4i  ME3I0IRS    OF 

gave  him  the  opportunity,   by  making  a  story  public. 
Malicious  and  false  slander  never    acts  in  this   open 
manner ;  but  seeks  the  covert,  and  cautiously  conceals 
itself  from  the  party  maligned,  in  order  to  prevent  a 
justification. 

"  If  any  persons  have  done  your  character  an  injury 
by  a  charge  of  corruption,  they  are  most  guilty  who  so 
thoroughly  believed  you  capable  of  that  crime,  as  to 
pay  a  large  sum  of  money  on  the  supposition  :    (an  in- 
dignity which  I  protest  I  would  not  have  offered  to  you, 
though  you  had  negotiated  the  matter,  and  given  the 
promise  yourself.)     And  yet  I  do   not  find  you  at  all 
angry  with  them  when   they  tell  you  their  opinion  of 
you  without  scruple.     On  the  contrary,  you  pity  Mrs. 
Burns  in  the  kindest  manner,  which  shows  plainly  that 
your  honor  is  not  hke  Caesar's  wife.     Nay,  you  seem 
almost  to  doubt,  whether  you  *  might  beg  the  favor  of 
Mr.  Burns  to  meet  you  at  your  house  in  Curzon-street;' 
that  is,  you  humbly  solicit  Mr.  Burns  to  do  you  the 
favor  of  accepting  your  assistance  in  the  recovery  of 
his  money. 

"  Archbishop  Laud  thought  to  clear  himself  to  pos- 
terity, from  all  aspersions  relative  to  popery,  by  in- 


JOHN    HORNE   TOOKE.  143 

serting  in  his  Dairy  his  refusal  of  a  cardinal's  hat,  not 
perceiving  the  disgrace  indelibly  fixed  on  him  by  the 
offer.  '  Mr.  Burns  has  had  the  strongest  recommen- 
dations from  persons  of  undoubted  veracity,  and  I 
believe,  on  all  accounts,  will  be  found  to  be  perfectly 
capable  and  worthy  of  the  employment.'  The  letter 
from  Mrs.  Burns  to  you  does,  by  no  means,  declare  her 

to  be  an  idiot.     Colonel (whom  you  forbear  to 

mention,)  is  a  man  of  sense,  and  well  acquainted  with 
the  world.  It  is  strange  they  should  all  three  believe 
you  capable  of  this  crime,  which,  '  of  all  others,  you 
must  hold  in  abhorrence.' 

"Mr.  Pownall,  Mr.  Bradshaw,  and  their  principals, 
are  supposed  to  know  something  of  men  and  things, 
and  therefore,  I  conclude  they  did  not  believe  you  con- 
cerned in  this  business :  though  1  wonder  much,  that, 
not  believing  it,  both  the  secretaries  should  wait  on  you 
so  seriously  about  it ;  but  perhaps  they  may  think  that 
when  honor  and  justice  are  not  the  rules  of  men's 
actions,  there  is  nothing  incredible  that  may  be  for 
their  advantage. 

"  But,  sir,  whatever  may  be  their  sentiments  of  you, 
I  must  entreat  you  to  entertain  no  resentment  to  me. 


J44  MEMOIRS    Of 

My  opinion  of  your  character  would  never  suffer  me  fo 
doubt  your  innocence.     If,  indeed,  the  charge  of  cor- 
ruption had  been  brought  against  a  low  and  ignorant    * 
debauchee,  who,  without  the  gratifications  and  enjoy- 
ments of  a  gentleman,    had  wasted  a  noble  patrimony 
amongst  the  lowest  prostitutes ;  whose  necessities  had 
driven  him  to  hawk  about  a  reversion  on  the  moderate 
terms  of  one  thousand  for  two  hundred ;  whose  despe- 
rate situation  had  made  him  renounce  his  principles 
and  desert  his  friends,  those  principles  and  those  friends 
to  which  he  stood  indebted  for  his  chief  support ;  who, 
for   a   paltry  consideration,    had   stabbed  a  dear  old 
friend,  and  violated  the  sacred  rights  of  that  grateful 
countr)'  that   continued  to  the  son  the  reward  of  his 
fathers   services.      If  the   charge   had  been   brought 
against  such    an  one,   more  fit  to  receive  the  public 
charity  than  to  be  trusted  with  the  disposal  and  manage-^ 
ment  of  the  public  money,  small  proof  would  have  been 
sufficient ;  and,  instead  of  considering  it  as  a  crime  the 
most  to  be  abhorred,  we  might  have  suffered  corrup- 
tion to  pass  amongst  the  virtues  of  such  a  man. 

"  But  yours,  sir,  is  a  very  different  character  and 
situation,  in  the  clear  and  unincumbered  possession  of 
that  paternal  estate,  with  which  your  ancestors  have 


JOHN    HORNE   TOOKE.  145 

long  been  respectable,   with  a  pension  of  three  thou- 
sand, and  a  place  of  one  thousand  a-year  ;   with  the 

certain  prospect  of  Lord  O 's  large  fortune,  which 

3^our  prudence  will  not  anticipate ;  grateful  to  your 
country,  faithful  to  your  connections,  and  firm  to  3'ouv 
principles,  it  ought  to  be  as  difficult  to  convict  you  of 
corruption  as  a  cardinal  of  fornication  ;  for  which 
last  purpose,  by  the  canon  law,  no  less  than  seventy- 
two  eye  witnesses  are  necessary. 

"  Thus,  sir,  you  see  how  far  I  am  from  casting  any 
reflection  on  your  Integrity ;  however,  if,  notwith- 
standing all  1  have  said,  you  are  still  resolved  to  try 
the  determination  of  a  jury,  take  one  piece  of  advice 
from  me — do  not  think  of  prosecuting  me  for  an 
insinuation :  alter  your  charge  before  it  comes  upon 
record,  to  prevent  its  being  done  afterwards ;  for, 
though  Lord  Mansfield  did  not  know  the  difference 
between  the  words  when  he  substituted  the  one  for  the 
other,  we  all  know  very  well  now  that  it  is  the  teno?', 
and  not  the  "purport,  that  must  convict  for  a  libel,  which 
mdeed,  almost  every  student  in  the  law  knew  before." 

The  event  of  the  trial  which  ensued,  has  been  here- 
tofore mentioned.    Junius  appears  to  have  taken  great 

19 


146  MEMOIRS    OF 

interest  in  this  trial ;  and  in  a  private  letter  addressed 
to  Woodfall,  dated  Wednesday  night,  August  16,  1769. 
he  expresses  himself  very  contemptuously  of  Onslow — 
and  adds,  "  Depend  upon  it,  he  will  get  nothing  but 
shame  by  contending  with  Mr.  Horne." 

The  style  and  spirit  of  the  following  letter  to  David 
Garrick,  November  10,  1771,  is  not  only  in  the  style 
of,  but  ajTac  simile  of  the  true  character  of  the  Rev. 
John  Horne. 

'^  November  10,  1771. 
*'  1  am  very  exactly  informed  of  your  impertinent 
"  inquiries,  and  of  the  information  you  so  busily  sent 
"  to  Richmond,  and  with  what  triumph  and  exultation 
"  it  was  received.  I  knew  every  particular  of  it  the 
"  next  day.  Now  mark  me,  vagabond — keep  to  your 
"  pantomimes,  or  be  assured  you  shall  hear  of  it. 
"  Meddle  no  more,  thou  busy  informer !  It  is  in  7ny 
'*  power  to  make  you  curse  the  hour  in  Avhich  you 
"  dared  to  interfere  with 

Junius." 

In  the  year  1771,  Mr.  HoRNE  became  involved  in 
his  famous  quarrel  with  Wilkes  ;  which  quarrel  pro- 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  147 

duced  the  controversy  with  Junius,  which  is  mainly 
rehed  on  to  disprove  the  identity  of  the  two  characters. 
I  shall  not,  in  this  place,  enter  into  the  merits  of  that 
correspondence,  fartiier  than  to  compare  the  language 
of  HoRNE  to  Wilkes,  with  some  of  the  writings  of 
Junius.  In  another  chapter,  1  shall  explain  the  reasons 
upon  which  1  have  been  convinced  that  the  pretended 
controversy  between  Horne  and  Junius,  in  no  way 
weakens  the  argument  in  favor  of  their  identity,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  strengthens  the  probability. 

*'  I  did  not,  indeed,  foresee  that  any  member  of  the 
House  of  Commons  would  move  for  leave  to  bring 
in  a  bill  to  take  away  the  right  of  appeal  from  the 
people,  in  cases  of  murder :  but  I  did  foresee,  that 
Lord  Mansfield  would  make  such  a  motion,  and  such 
a  bill  unnecessary;  and  that  he  would,  by  studied  de- 
lays and  difficulties,  most  effectually  take  away  the 
remedy  of  appeal,  by  showing  us  that  the  most  emi- 
nent counsel  at  the  bar,  are  not  able  to  proceed  in 
such  a  course,  as  to  bring  it  to  a  trial.  And  I  sup- 
posed that  he  would,  as  he  has  done,  so  protract  the 
matter,  by  shifting  his  difficulties  and  his  doubts,  that 
cithei"  the  proceedings  on  the  appeal  should  be  drop- 
ped, by  the  enormity  of  the  expense,  or  the  obstinate 


148  BIEMOIRS   OF 

virtue  of  the  poor  appellant  have  time  to  be  cooled 
and  coiTupted. " 

*'  I  expected  also,  to  show  that  Lord  Mansfield,  who 
is  so  dexterous  at  removing  difficulties,  and  shortening 
the  way  to  a  conviction  for  libel,  according  to  the 
modern  method  of  prosecution,  was  dexterous  in  finding 
out,  or  creating  obstacles  to  a  trial,  in  the  ancient 
mode  of  appeal  for  murder." 

*'  However,  you  must  do  something  for  your  credits' 
sake — at  least  be  witty — at  least  entertain  the  public — 
scraps  of  verses  will  not  altogether  answer  the  purpose. 
Ah  me!  is  no  argument ;  quotations  are  not  proofs.  If 
you  will  quote  an  incomparable  poet,  you  should  take 
some  of  his  ijicomparable  poetry.  With  such  a  choice 
of  beauties  before  you,  to  select  the  passages  with 
which  you  have  lately  patched  your  prose,  convinces 
me  that  no  friend  can  escape  you,  and  that  living  or 
dead,  it  is  your  study  and  endeavor  to  show,  if  you 
can,  their  weak  sides  to  the  public." 

'*  I  have  been,  with  others,  struggling  to  make  it 
your  interest  to  be  honest,  and  founded  all  my  hojx;?, 
not  on  your  principle,  but  common  sense." 


JOHN    HORNE   TOOKE.  149 

Stephens,  Vol  l,p.  240,  241. 

"  But  the  people  must  owe  it  to  themselves,  nor 
ought  they  to  receive  the  restoration  of  their  rights  as 
a  favor  from  any  set  of  men,  minister,  or  king.  The 
moment  they  accept  it  as  a  grant,  a  favor,  an  act  of 
grace,  the  people  have  not  the  prospect  of  a  right  left. 
They  will,  from  that  time,  become  like  the  mere  posses- 
sors of  an  estate  without  a  title,  and  of  which  they  may 
be  dispossessed  at  pleasure.  If  the  people  are  not 
powerful  enough  to  make  a  bad  administration,  or  a 
bad  king,  do  them  justice,  they  will  not  often  have  a 
good  one.  Would  to  God  the  time  were  come, 
which  I  am  afraid  is  very  distant,  beyond  the  period 
of  my  life,  when  an  honest  man  could  not  be  in  oppo- 
sition !  I  declare  I  should  rejoice  to  find  the  patron- 
age of  a  minister,  in  the  smallest  degree,  ray  honor  and 
interest.  I  never  have  pretended  to  any  more  than  to 
prefer  the  former  to  the  latter.  But  it  is  not  upon  me 
alone  that  you  have  poured  forth  your  abuse,  but  upon 
every  man  of  honor,  who  has  deserved  well  of  the 
public  ;  and  if  you  were  permitted  to  proceed,  without 
interruption,  there  would  shortly  not  be  found  one 
honest  man  who  would  not  shudder  to  deserve  well  of 
the  people." 


CHAPTER  VIII.    ^ 

In  the  year  1777,  Mr.  Horne  was  tried  before 
Lord  Chief  Justice  Mansfield,  for  a  libel — as  narrated 
in  the  account  of  his  life.  This  libel  was  the  publica- 
tion in  the  Newspaper,  (July  1775)  of  an  advertisement 
to  which  his  name  was  subscribed,  in  which  he  stig- 
matized the  kilhng  of  Americans  by  the  King's  troops, 
at  Lexington,  in  the  April  preceding,  an  inhuman 
murder.  The  advertisement  is  a  curious  one,  and  is 
therefore  inserted  here,  as  a  specimen  of  the  spirit 
which  animated  some  of  the  Enghsh  brethren  in  our 
behalf,   at  that  period. 

"  Kings- Arms,  Cornhill,  June  7,  1775. 
"  At  a  special  meeting  this  day  of  several  members 
"  of  the  constitutional  society,  during  an  adjournment, 
"  a  gentleman  proposed' that  a  subscription  should  be 
"immediately  entered  into,  (by  such  of  the  members 
"  present,  as  might  approve  the  purpose,)  for  raising 


MEMOIRS    OF  JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  151 

'*  the  sum  of  ,£100,  to  be  applied  to  the  relief  of  the 
"  widows,  orphans,  and  aged  parents  of  our  beloved 
"  American  fellow-subjects,  who,  faithful  to  the  char- 
"  acter  of  Englishmen,  preferring  death  to  slavery, 
"  were,  for  that  resaon  only,  inhumanly  murdered  by 
"  the  King's  troops,  at  or  near  Lexington  and  Concord, 
"in  the  Province  of  Massachusetts,  on  the  19th  of 
"  last  April ;  which  sum  being  immediately  collected, 
<'  it  was  thereupon  resolved,  that  Mr.  Horne  do  pay 
"  to-morrow  into  the  hands  of  Messrs.  Brownes  and 
"  Collison,  on  the  account  of  Dr.  Franklin,  the  said 
"  sum  of  £100  ;  and  that  Dr.  Franklin  be  requested 
"  to  apply  the  same  to  the  above  mentioned  purposes. 

John  Horne." 

For  this  publication  he  Avas,  after  the  lapse  of  more 
than  two  years,  and  when  the  quarrel  between  the 
parent  state  and  the  colonies  had  proceeded  to  regular 
warfare,  prosecuted,  and  brought  to  trial  by  the  At- 
torney-general, (Thurlow)  upon  an  information  ex 
officio.  From  this  trial,  and  which  was  brought  on 
(in  July  1777)  before  Earl  Mansfield,  and  from  Mr. 
Horne's  speeches  in  defence,  and  after  conviction, 
we  shall  make  several  extracts,  and  shall  endeavor  to 
strengthen  our  argument,  by  showing  the  similarity  in 


152  MEMOIRS   OF 

spirit,  and  sometimes  in  manner  and  expression,  to 
Junius. 

In  making  these  comparisons,  perfect  identity  must 
not  be  expected.  The  writings  of  Junius  were  at  this 
time  too  popular  and  well  remembered  to  allow  their 
writer  (situated  in  so  dangerous  a  predicament)  to  gain 
ciny  very  obvious  imitation,  or  copy,  or  presumptive 
evidence  of  any  nature  that  could  lead  immediately  to 
his  detection  ;  or  would  be  likely  to  excite  a  suspicion 
that  might  be  fatal  in  its  consequences. 

Something,  too,  must  be  allowed  to  the  natural  infe- 
riority in  polish  of  a  discourse,  delivered  extemporane- 
ously before  a  crowded  auditory — and  the  regular  me- 
thodical and  labored  productions  of  the  study ;  and 
much  more  to  the  condensed  and  disguised  form  which 
this  mystery  compelled  the  author  to  use,  and  that  from 
his  own  confession. 

With  these  necessary  allowances,  the  following  is  in 
the  very  style  and  spirit  o[  Jniiius  : — 

In  the  opening  of  the  trial,  Mr.  HoiiNE  made  an 
objection  to  the  right  claimed  by  the  Attorney-general, 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  153 

of  replying,  notwithstanding  that  no  witnesses  had 
been  called  by  the  defendant.  This  was  overruled  by 
Lord  Mansfield,  after  some  altercation  between  him 
and  the  defendant.  For  this  he  suffered  severely 
throughout  the  trial,  from  the  sarcastic  attacks  of  Mr. 
HoRNE.  "  To  my  great  disadvantage  and  sorrow, 
your  lordship  interfered  hastily,  and  saved  Mr.  Attor- 
ney-general the  trouble  of  vindicating  his  claim." 
Your  lordship  saved  him  from  the  embarrassment  he 
would  then  have  found,  and  which  I  am  confident  he 
will  now  find,  to  produce  one  single  argument  of 
reason  or  justice,  on  behalf  of  his  claim  ;  and  this  your 
lordship  did,  by  an  absolute  overbearing  of  the  objec- 
tion, without  even  permitting  an  argument." 

"  This  is  only  a  repetition  of  what  happened  before, 
if  your  lordship  will  thus  do  the  business  of  the  Attor- 
ney-general for  him." 

Lord  Mansfield, — "  You  will  have  a  remedy." 

Mr.  HoRNE — ^"  Oh,  my  lord,  I  have  already  suffered 
under  your  lordship's  directing  me  to  remedies.  The 
most  evil  of  all  poisoners,  are  those  who  poison  our 
remedies.     Has  your  lordship  forgotten  f     I  am  sure 

20 


154  MEMOIRS    OF 

you  have  not  forgotten,  that  I  have  once  before,  in  my 
life,  had  the  honor  to  be  tried  before  your  lordship  for 
a  pretended  hbel.  It  was  the  most  scandalous  trial 
that  ever  came  before  a  court.     Your  lordship  cannot 

forget  the  particulars  of  that  trial."** "  We  came 

to  trial  before  your  lordship,  and  I  do  remember  some 
very  strong  cases  (which,  indeed,  I  intended  to  have 
pubhshed)  of  your  lordship's  practice  in  that  trial." 

*'I  have  never  complained  of  the  practices  used 
against  me  on  that  trial,  nor  of  the  mistakes  (to  speak 
gently)  which  your  lordship  made." 

"  First,  your  lordship  interferes  to  save  Mr.  Attor- 
ney*general  from  attempting  to  give  a  reason,  which 
you  both  know  he  cannot  give ;  and  then  Mr.  Attorney- 
general  gets  up  to  save  your  lordship  in  his  turn,  and 
to  stop  me  from  explaining  your  lordship's  conduct." 

**  I  was  a  constant  attender  of  your  lordship  some 
years  ago,  and  I  have  gathered  from  your  practice, 
some  things  which  I  take  to  be,  and  some  which  I  take 
not  to  be,  law." 

(Lord  Mansfield,  to  the  Attorney-general,)  "Go  on 
with  the  trial." 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  155 

Mr.  HoRNE — "  I  shall  hear  no  reason  then  from 
either  of  you?    Well,  if  so,  I  must  submit." 

I  cannot  avoid  adding  the  very  severe  and  extraordi- 
nary attack  which  he  made  upon  the  Attorney- general. 
"He  has  talked  so  much  of  the  fairness,  and  the  con- 
science, and  the  integrity  of  his  motives  in  doing  it, 
that  I  am  sure  it  will  look  comical  if  he  refuses  to  hear 
those  declarations.  If  he  will  not  hear  to  those  motives 
without  his  oath,  I  cannot  believe  it.  If  contrary  to 
my  expectations,  he  does  hear  to  it,  after  his  oath,  I 
shall  be  left  to  exercise  my  own  judgment." 

Great  stress  has  been  laid  by  Mr.  Taylor,  in  his 
book,  upon  the  apparent  regard  entertained  for 
Woodfall  by  Junius.  Expressions  are  quoted  from 
his  private  letters,  which  cannot  be  construed  in 
any  other  manner,  than  as  meaning  a  particular  kind- 
ness and  friendship  for  Woodfall. 

I  subjoin  the  evidence  given  by  Mr.  Woodfall  upon 
this  trial,  which  will,  I  think,  prove,  that  between  Mr. 
HoRNE  and  Woodfall,  the  same  confidence  existed, 
which  is  likely  to  have  induced  the  confidential  and 
friendly  expressions  of  regard  which  Junius  uses,  and 


156  MEMOIRS   OF 

that    the    intercourse   had   continued  for  nine  years 
previous  :— 

Henry  Sampson  Woodfall,  swonu 

Examined  by  Mr.  Wallace. 

What  business  are  you  ? — A  printer. 

Do  you  print  any  newspaper  ? — Yes. 

What  paper  ? — The  Public  Advertiser. 

Mr.  Wallace. — Look  at  these  two  papers,  (showing 
the  witness  the  manuscripts  of  the  advertisements.) 
The  witness  inspects  the  manuscripts. 

Have  you  ever  seen  these  papers  before  ? — Yes. 

When  did  you  see  the  first  of  them  ? — About  the  7th 
of  June,  1775,  as  near  as  1  can  recollect. 

By  what  means  did  you  come  by  the  sight  of  it  ? — 
Mr.  HoRNE,  the  defendant,  gave  it  me. 

For  what  purpose  .'* — To  publish  iu  the  Public  Ad- 
vertiser. 

Did  you  accordingly  publish  it  ? — I  did. 

Had  you  any  other  directions  from  Mr.  Horne  ?— 
Yes. — He  desired  me  to  send  it  to  several  other  papers, 
which  i  did. 

Do  you  recollect  the  names  of  any  of  them  ? — The 
whole,  I  believe,  of  them  ;  1  cannot  exactly  recollect. 


JOHN    IIORNE    TOOKE.  157 

Did  you  follow  his  directions  ? — I  did. 

Was  any  thing  paid  lor  it  ? — Yes.  Mr.  HoRNE 
paid  the  bill.  k 

For  the  publication  ? — Yes. 

Mr.  Wallace. — Look  at  those  newspapers  (showing 
the  witness  the  Public  Advertiser  of  June  the  9th,  and 
of  July  14,  1775.)     The  witness  inspects  newspapers. 

Are  those  papers  pubhshed  by  you  ? — I  print  that 
paper,  and  1  suppose  they  are. 

Cross-examined  by  the  Defendant. 

Mr.  HoRNE. — I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,  Mr.^ 
Woodfall.  I  desire  to  ask  you  some  questions.  Pray, 
what  was  your  motive  for  inserting  that  advertise- 
ment ? — Your  desire. 

Had  you  no  other  motive  ? — I  was  paid  for  it,  as 
the  advertisement  is  paid  for. 

Pray,  was  it  by  accident  or  by  my  desire,  that  there 
should  be  witnesses  to  see  me  write  that  advertise- 
ment ? — By  your  desire. 

And  did  I,  or  did  I  not,  formerly,  before  that  wit- 
ness, when  called  in,  deliver  that  paper  as  my  act  and 
deed,  as  if  it  had  been  a  bond  ? — Yes. 

It  is  true  I  did. — Did  I  not  always  direct  you,  if 


158  MEMOIRS    OF 

called  upon,  to  furnish  the  fullest  proof  that  you  could 
give  ? — You  did,  Sir. 

Now,  then.  Sir,  if  you  please,  say  whether  I  have 
ever  written  any  thing  in  your  newspaper  before  ? — 
Yes,  frequently. 

How  many  years  ago,  do  you  think  ? — The  first 
remarkable  thing  that  I  remember,  was  something 
about  Sir  John  Gibbons,  about  his  mistaking  Easter 
for  a  feast  or  a  fast. 

How  long  ago  is  that? — About  the  year  1768,  about 
the  election  time. 

That  is  about  nine  years  ago  ? — Yes. 
Have  I  at  any  time  desired  you  to  screen  me  from 
the  laws  ? — No. 

Has  not  the  method  of  my  transactions  with  you  at 
all  times  been,  that  you  should  at  all  times,  for  your 
own  sake,  if  called  upon,  give  me  up  to  justice  ? — 
Certainly,   that  has  always  been  your  desire. 

Pray,  Sir,  were  you  not  once  called  upon  by  the 
House  of  Commons  for  something  that  I  wrote  in  your 
paper? — Yes,  Sir. 

Do  you  remember  that  I  did,  or  did  not,  when  I 
took  care  to  furnish  such  full  proof  of  this  advertise- 
ment, give  you  the  reason  for  it? — I  cannot  say  I 
recollect  the  reason. 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  159 

I  will  mention  it. — Whether  was  this  the  reason. 
That  in  the  last  transaction  before  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, it  was  pretended  they  let  me  off,  because  they 
could  not  get  full  evidence.  Do  you  remember 
whether  I  rehearsed  that  or  not ;  and  said,  that  if  they 
now  chose  to  take  notice  of  this  advertisement,  they 
should  not  want  full  evidence  ? — I  do  recollect  that 
conversation. 

You  remember  that  was  the  reason  I  gave  ?— I  do. 

Will  you  please  to  look  at  these  newspapers ;  (shew- 
ing several  papers  of  the  Public  Advertiser  to  the  wit- 
ness. The  witness  inspects  them.)  Do  you  know 
these  newspapers  ? — 1  do. 

Do  you  believe  that  you  published  them  ? — I  do. 

Look  at  the  dates.— I  will  call  them  over  to  you 
from  a  list— May  the  30th  and  the  31st;  June  the  6th, 
the  9th,  the  10th,  the  12th,  the  15th,  and  the  16th, 
1775? — I  have  looked  at  the  papers  ;  they  are  all  of 
my  publication  ;  the  date  of  one  of  them  I  cannot 
make  out ;   it  is  June  something. 

We  will  go  on — June  the  21st  and  the  27th,  1775  ; 
then  there  is  January  the  1 1th,  February  the  8th,  Feb- 
ruary the  7th,  the  11th,  June  the  2d,  and  June  the 
30th,  1 777  ? — They  are  likewise  of  my  publishing. 


160  MEMOIRS   OF 

Pray,  Sir,  do  you  recollect  the  contents  of  the  paper 
of  May  30,  1775  ? — No,  upon  my  soul,  I  do  not. 

You  are  upon  your  oath. — I  know  that  indeed. 

Read  that  part  (pointing  a  part  out;)  read  from 
"In  provincial  congress,  April  26,  1774,"  down  to 
that  part  (pointing  it  out.) 

Mr.  Wallace. — The  officer  should  read  it;  though 
not  now.  You  will  be  entitled  to  read  it,  wlien  you 
come  to  your  defence. 

Mr.  HoRNE. — Pra}',  do  you  know  Mr.  Arthur  Lee  ? 
Yes. 

Did  you  ever  receive  any  account  from  him  relative 
to  the  persons  killed  at  Lexington  and  Concord  f — I 
really  do  not  recollect. 

Do  you  recollect  that  you  ever  published  his  name 
to  an  account  ? — 1  think  I  did ;  relating  to  his  agency 
for  some  colony. 

Look  at  that,  and  see  whether  you  remember  that, 
and  how  you  received  it  ?  (Witness  inspects  Public 
Advertiser  of  May  31,  1775,) — Yes.  1  think  1  receiv- 
ed this  from  Mr.  Arthur  Lee. 

Pray,  who  was  Mr.  Arthur  Lee  ? — He  is  of  the 
bar.  I  have  seen  him  in  Westminster-Hall.  He  was 
there  at  the  trial  of  Mr.  Wright,  the  printer,  upon  this 
very  affair.     I  believe  he  was  retained  there. 


JOHN    HORNE    TOOKE,  161 

Pray,  was  he  retained  in  3'our  cause  when  you  were 
to  be  prosecuted  for  this  advertisement  f — He  was. 

And  why  did  you  retain  him  f — Had  you  any  parti- 
cular reason  ? — I  presumed  he  knew  more  of  the 
subject  of  the  advertisement  than  I  did. 

Did  he  ever  tell  you  any  thing  upon  the  subject  ?— 
We  have  had  private  conversation  together  as  a  mat- 
ter of  news. 

Did  he  ever  tell  you  he  had  lodged  affidavits  with 
the  Lord  Mayor  of  London  ? — He  did. 

Sir,  did  you  ever  tell  me  so  ? — I  do  not  recollect. 

Pray,  when  had  you,  for  the  first  time,  any  notice 
of  a  prosecution  for  the  publishing  of  this  advertise- 
ment ? — About  two  years  ago. 

Pray,  did  that  prosecution  go  on  ? — No. 

Do  you  know  why  ? — Yes.  I  let  judgment  go  by 
xlefault. 

The  first  time  ? — I  was  never  called  upon  till  last 
January. 

It  began  two  years  ago  ;  and  you  were  never  called 
forward  upon  it  till  last  J  anuary  ? — I  think  that  was 
about  the  month. 

As  near  as  you  can  recollect  ? — Yes. 

When  were  you  first  applied  to,  or  were  you  evej* 
applied  to,  to  be  a  witness  in  this  cause  .''—I  was  not. 

21 


162  3IEMOIRS   OF 

You  never  were  ? — No. 

How  came  you  to  be  an  evidence  ? — 1  heard  that  if 
1  could  produce  my  author,  matters  might  be  better 
for  me ;  and  as  you  had  no  sort  of  objection,  (which 
you  told  me  at  the  time)  1  did,  of  course,  produce  those 
copies  that  appeared  there,  to  Messrs.  Charaberlayne 
and  White,  the  sohcitors  for  the  treasury. 

Should  you,  at  any  time,  if  you  had  been  called 
upon,  have  declared  that  I  was  the  author  of  that 
advertisement  ? — Most  certainly ;  for  you  desired  it. 

And  would  have  given  your  evidence? — Yes. 

Whom  was  the  appHcation  made  by  f — It  was  no 
sort  of  application  at  all ;  1  heard  of  it. 

By  whom  ? — My  brother. 

You  never  refused  to  furnish  evidence  against  the 
author? — No. 

You  never  were  applied  to,  to  do  it  ? — No ;  I  was 
not. 

You  have  said  that  I  never  desired  you  to  conceal 
me  from  the  law  for  any  thing  you  published  from  me. 
Did  you  ever  receive  any  letter  or  message  from  Sir 
Thomas  Mills  in  your  life  ? — A  private  letter  I  have. 

But  did  not  the  private  letter  relate  to  that  public 
paper  ? — Never. 

Did  you  never  receive  any  message  not  to  insert 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  163. 

any  thing  in  your  paper  about  Lord  Mansfield's  earl- 
dom ? — No. 

Upon  your  oath  ? — Upon  my  oath,  to  the  best  of  my 
recollection,  I  never  did. 

From  any  quarter  ? — No. 

Sir,  were  you  ever  sent  for  by  Lord  Bute  ? — No  ;  I 
never  saw  him. 

Were  you  not  sent  for,  for  inserting  a  paragraph 
about  the  King's  marriage  ? — No  ;  1  am  not  consulted 
by  the  higher  powers,  I  assure  you. 

If  1  had  thought  you  were,  I  never  should  have- 
trusted  you :  1  do  not  think  you  are. — T  am  much 
obliged  to  you  for  your  good  opinion. 

Mr.  HoRNE. — I  will  give  you  no  more  trouble. 

The  following  passages,  introduced  for  the  purpose 
of  showing  how  closely  HoRNE  and  Junius  sometimes 
approach  in  point  of  style,  may  not  be  uninteresting  to 
the  reader.  They  certainly  have  the  greatest  weight 
in  point  of  proo/ on  this  question. 

"  Murder  and  sodomy,  you  know,  have,  in  these  our 
days,  often  found  successful  solicitors :  and  the  laws 
against  popery  (though  unrepealed,  and  in  full  legal 
force)   are,  when  resorted  to,  thought  by  the  magis- 


164  MEMOIRS    OF 

trate  who  presides  here,  too  rigorous  to  be  sufi'ered  to 
have  their  free  course,  against  a  religion  so  destructive 
to  the  civil  rights  of  mankind,  and  to  favor  absolute 
and  arbitrary  power.     But  while  that  has  been  favored 
beyond  the   laws,    nothing  beyond  the  laws  has  been 
thought  rigorous  and  severe  enough  against  the  charge 
of  hbel.     Murder,  under  the  most  aggravating  circum- 
stances, has  been  repeatedly  pardoned:   and   treason, 
the  blackest  treason   to  the  family  on  the  throne,  and 
{what    is  of  much   more    consequence  to  us  than   any 
family)  to  the  free  constitution  of  this  country,  has  been 
not  only  pardoned,   but   taken  into    favor;    and  the 
estates  of  convict  traitors  have  been  restored  to  them 
and  their  families,  while   mercy  and  forgiveness  have 
been  thus    flowing  unnaturally,  in  a  full  stream,  over 
the  highest  mountains  of  iniquity.     Has   any  of  you 
ever  spied  the   smallest  rivulet  descending  towards  the 
valley  of  the  libeller  ?     Has  any  man,  charged  with  a 
libel  (and  what  has  not  been  charged  as  a  libel  r)  has 
any  man  so  charged,  ever  yet  met  with  mercy  ?" 

The  tone  of  cool  irony — the  side  blow  at  Lord 
Mansfield — the  air  of  contempt  with  which  he  speaks 
of  the  abuse  of  the  prerogative,  are  the  very  spirit  of 
Junius :  and  compares  with  the  passage  italicised,  the 


JOHN   HORNE  TOOKE.  165 

same  sentiment  in  Junius,  studiously  inserted — "The 
man  who  deserts  it  at  this  crisis,  is  an  enemy  to  his 
country,  and  what  I  think,  of  infinitely  less  importance, 
a  traitor  to  his  sovereign,'^ 

The  same  tone  of  sarcastic  contempt  pervades  the 
following : — 

"  A  gentleman  who  was  a  juryman  on  that  occasion, 
is  now  a  baronet,  and  of  great  consequence  at  the 
India-House.  Gentlemen,  if  you  make  yourselves 
useful,  there  is  a  better  track  open  to  you  than  the 
honorable  and  just  gains  of  your  profession." 

"  Gentlemen,  it  is  very  well  known  that  the  Attorney 
and  Solicitor-generals,  make  a  considerable  part  of 
every  administration.  They  sit  there  in  the  House  of 
Commons  on  each  side  of  the  minister.  The  Jachin 
and  Boaz  of  the  minister  in  the  House  of  Commons. 
However,  gentlemen,  though  this  situation  of  theirs 
makes  us  smile,  it  is  a  very  serious  thing,  especially 
when  their  honor  and  conscience  are  to  go  to  you  for 
proof  instead  of  argument."  "  Gentlemen,  libel, 
as  well  as  the  Attorney-general,  depends  very  much 
upon  the  minister ;  why,  do  not  we  all  know  very  well 


166  MEMOIRS   OF 

that  they  who  were  pilloried  for  a   libel  in  the  last 
reign,  are  pensioned  in  this  ?" 

"It  is  not  for  crimes  against  the  state,  that  thisj 
power  intervenes,  but  for  partial  political  opinions  ; 
and  the  man  who  is  pilloried  and  imprisoned  to-day, 
may,  for  the  same  act,  be  pensioned  to-morrow,  as  the 
hands  change.  If  this  party  goes  down,  it  is  a  libel — 
if  it  comes  up,  it  is  a  merit.  Is  it  in  this  kind  of  change 
that  an  Attorney-general  should  employ  all  these  un- 
just powers  ?  Sermons,  petitions,  books  against  plays, 
saying  that  money  will  corrupt  men — nothing  but 
barely  mentioning  the  effects  of  money ;  all  have  been 
prosecuted  and  punished,  and  ears  cut  off,  and  those 
things  for  libel." 

JUNIUS. — "  Cutting  off  ears  and  noses  might  still  be 
inflicted  by  a  resolute  judge." 

HORNE. — "  Gentlemen,  1  said  that  ex  efficio  contain- 
ed every  thing  that  was  illegal,  unjust,  wicked, 
and  oppressive — He  (the  Attorney-general,) 
*  brings  it  on  as  he  pleases.' — He  has  no  resort 
to  a  grand  jury,  or  the  country,  to  accuse;  but 
contrary  to  express  law,  and  what  is  much 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  l67 

Stranger,  contrary  to  the  strongest  and  the 
very  fundamental  reason  of  that  law,  he  has  no 
recourse  to  a  grand  jury,  because  it  is  the  pre- 
tended suil  of  the  crown." 

JUNIUS,  on  the  same  argument. — "  If  any  honest 
man  should  still  be  inclined  to  leave  the  con- 
struction of  libels  to  the  court,  1  entreat  hira 
to  consider  what  a  dreadful  complication  of 
hardships  he  imposes  upon  his  fellow-subjects. 
In  the  first  place,  the  prosecution  commences 
by  information  of  an  officer  of  the  crown,  and 
not  by  the  regular  constitutional  mode  of  in^ 
dictment  before  a  grand  jury." 

HORNE  pursues — "  Indeed,  the  nature  of  a  libfel 
always  makes  a  jury  the  best  judges  of  it.  For 
a  libel,  (if  it  be  so,)  is  indeed  for  mischief;  if 
must  therefore,  be  intelligible  to  the  people  ; 
or  no  mischief  could  be  produced  by  it.  If  a 
man  writes  a  libel  that  a  common  jury  could 
not  understand,  (and  you  are  a  special  jury, 
gentlemen,)  he  must  fail  in  his  design." 

JUNIUS. — "  But  the  truth  is,  that  if  a  paper,  supposed 
to  be  a  libel  upon  government,  be  so  obscurely 


168  MEMOIRS   OF 

worded,  that  twelve  common  men  could  not 
possibly  see  the  seditious  meaning  and  ten- 
dency of  it,  it  is,  in  effect,  no  libel. 

HORNE. — "  I  have  laid  before  you  a  sacred  principle 
with  which  1  am  much  better  acquainted  than 
with  any  precedents — and  for  one  of  which  I 
would  willingly  give  up  all  the  precedents  that 
ever  existed." 

JUNIUS,  to  Mr.  Wilkes. — «  It  is  not  that  precedents 
have  any  weight  with  me  in  opposition  to 
principles,  but  I  know  they  weigh  with  the 
multitude." 

HORNE. — "My  lords,  he  represents  me  as  speaking 

the  language  of '  if  you   dare  to  punish 

me ;'  and  he  says,  '  it  is  a  language  addressed 
to  the  lowest  of  the  mob.'  Indeed,  I  think  so 
too  ;  but  it  is  his  own  language,  not  mine. 
My  lords,  he  has  dwelt  upon  my  occasions,  my 
desperate  situation,  my  want  of  character  and 
fortune.  My  lords,  it  is  my  misfortune  that, 
from  my  cradle,  I  have  had  as  effeminate  an 
education  and  care,  and  course  of  my  life,  as 
Mr.  Attorney-general. 


JOHN   HORNE  TOOKE.  169 

"  It  is  my  misfortune,  that  there  was  not  a 
greater  want  of  fortune  ;  and  as  for  my  occa- 
sions, my    means  have  always  been  beyond 
them.     I   should  rather,  my   lords,  if  1  was 
speaking  in  extenuation,  or  to  mitigate  your 
punishment,  I  should  rather  close  in  with  Mr. 
Attorney-general,    and    acknowledge    myself 
that  desperate,  helpless  wretch,  that  he  has  re- 
presented me.     Perhaps  it  would  be  the  most 
effectual  motive  to  your  lordships  compassion. 
My  lords,  1  never,  in  my  life,  solicited  a  favor; 
I  never  desire  to  meet  with  compassion.     My 
lords,   he  has  talked  to  your  lordships  of  my 
patrons-     I  have  had  in  my  life,  and  early  in 
my  life,  the  greatest  of  patrons  ;   aye,  with  all 
their  power,  greater  than  any  that  now  hear 
me.     My  lords,  1  renounced  my  patrons,  be- 
cause  I  would   not  renounce  my  principles  ; 
repeatedly,  over  and  over  again,    of  different 
descriptions   and  in  different  situations.      My 
lords,  I  am  proud,  because  I  am  insulted  ;    or 
else  I  certainly  should  not  have  held  any  of 
this  language.     My  lords,  Mr.  Attorney-gen- 
eral, through  a  blameful  carelessness,  has  told 
you  a  story  of  a  theological,  polemical  dispute 
22 


no  fllEMOIRS    OF 

between  myself  and  a  parishioner.  I  can 
easily  conceive  that  he  let  himself  fall  into 
that  mistake,  for  the  sake  of  ^  smile  from 
your  lordships  and  the  court,  upon  the  rever- 
end gentleman.  But  in  this,  like  the  rest, 
my  lords,  there  is  not  a  syllable,  not  the 
smallest  foundation,  of  truth.  I  never  had  a 
theological,  polemical  dispute.  My  lords,  I 
am  free  to  acknowledge  that  no  theological 
disputes  that  ever  I  read,  and  I  have  endeav- 
oured to  read  all  that  ever  happened  ;  none  of 
them  ever  interested  me  in  the  manner  that 
the  present  dispute  do  interest  me.  My  lords, 
I  never  was  made  to  be  a  martyr.  I  have 
opinions  of  my  own  ;  but  I  never  intended  to 
suffer  for  them  at  the  stake. 

"My  lords,  he  has  endeavoured  to  insinuate, 
that  all  that  I  wrote,  and  all  that  I  said,  was, 
for  the  sake  of  a  paradeful  triumph  over  jus- 
tice :  and  he  has  talked  again  and  again  of 
the  mob.  My  lords,  the  mob  have  conferred 
no  greater  favors  upon  me,  than  upon  Mr. 
Attorney-general.  I  have  been  repeatedly 
followed  by  very  numerous  mobs,  in  order  to 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  171 

destroy  me,  single,  and  alone,  for  a  great 
length  of  way :  not  once,  or  twice,  or  three 
times,  but  four  and  five  times  ;  two  or  three 
thousand  at  my  heels.  I  am  sensible  of  the 
ridicule  of  the  situation,  even  whilst  I  mention 
it.  These  are  the  only  favors  that  I  ever 
have  received  from  the  mob  ;  these  are  the 
only  favors  that  1  have  solicited  ;  and  I  pro- 
test to  your  lordships,  I  had  much  rather  hear 
the  mob  hiss  than  halloo,  for  the  latter  would 
give  me  the  headach ;  the  first  gives  me  no  pain. 
My  lords,  I  have  heard  of  those  who  have  ex- 
pressed more  wishes  for  popularity  than  ever 
I  felt.  I  have  heard  it  said,  and  I  think  it 
was  in  this  court,  that  they  would  have  popu- 
larity, but  it  should  be  that  popularity  which 
follows,  not  that  which  is  sought  after !  My 
lords,  I  am  proud  enough  to  despise  them 
both.  If  popularity  would  offer  itself  to  me, 
I  would  speedly  take  care  to  kick  it  away. 
My  lords,  as  for  ambition,  and  bodies  of  men, 
and  parties,  and  societies,  there  is  nothing  of 

4 

it  in  the  case.  There  is  no  body  of  men  with 
whom  I  can  think,  that  I  know  of  There  is 
no  body  of  men  with  whom  1  am  connected. 


*• 


172  MEMOIRS    OF 

There  is  no  man,  or  men,  from  whom  I  expect 
help,  or  assistance,  or  friendship,  of  any  knd 
beyond  that  which  my  principles   or  services 
may  deserve  from  them  individually.     Private 
friendships  I  have,   like   other  men,  but  they 
are  very  few  ;    however,  that  is  recompense 
to   me,  for  they  are  very  worthy.     My  lords, 
Mr.   Attorney-general  has  said,  that  1  repre- 
sented imprisonment  as  no  kind  of  inconveni- 
ence to  me.    As  no  kind  of  inconvenience,  my 
lords,  will  not  certainly  be  true,  because  the 
great  luxury  of  my  life  is  a  very  small,  but  a 
vex'y  clean  cottage :   and  though  imprisoument 
will  be  so  far  inconvenient  to  me,  the  cause  of 
it  will  make  it  not  painful.     My  lords,  I  find 
that  only  I  have  a  sort  of  understanding,  very 
different  from  that  of  Mr   Attorney-general ; 
but  my  notions  of  law,   and   my  notions   of 
humanity,  are  equally  tafferent.     My  lords, 
between  the  time  that  1  had  the  last  honor  of 
appearing  before  you  and  the  present  time,  it 
happens  very  unibrtunately  for  Mr.  Attorney- 
general  that  he  has  proved,  that  not  only  my 
notions   of  law  and  decency,  but  my  notions 
of  propriety  and  humanity  are  widely  different 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  173 

from  his  ;  and  I  mention  it,  my  lords,  because 
it  goes  immediately  to  the  doctrine  now  at- 
tempted to  be  established. 

"  Mr.  Attorney-general  has  heard  a  person, 
as  great  as  himself,  between  that  lime  and  this, 
justify  the  legality,  the  propriety,  the  humanity 
of  the  tomahawk  and  the  scalping  knife. 
Between  the  last  time  I  appeared  here,  and 
this  time,  these  have  been  the  sort  of  king's 
troops,  justified  by  a  high  officer  of  the  law, 
to  be  employed  as  legal,  proper,  mild,  and 
humane." 

JUNIUS'  Letter,  44. —  "  To  write  for  profit,  without 
taxing  the  press  ;  to  write  for  fame,  and  to  be 
unknown  ;  to  support  the  intrigues  of  faction, 
and  to  be  disowned  as  a  dangerous  auxiliary, 
by  every  party  in  the  kingdom,  are  contradic- 
tions which  the  minister  must  reconcile  before  I 
forfeit  my  credit  with  the  public.  I  may  quit 
the  service,  but  it  would  be  absurd  to  suspect 
me  of  desertion.  The  reputation  of  these  pa- 
pers is  an  honorable  pledge  for  my  attachment 
to  the  people.     To  sacrifice  a  respected  char- 


174  MEMOIRS   OF 

acter,  and  to  renounce  the  esteem  of  society, 
requires  more  than  Mr.  Wedderburne's  reso- 
lution ;  and  though  in  him  it  was  rather  a 
profession  than  a  desertion  of  his  principles, 
(1  speak  tenderly  of  this  gentleman,  for  when 
treachery  is  in  question,  I  think  we  should 
make  allowances  for  a  Scotchman.)     Yet  we 
have  seen   him   in  the   House  of  Commons 
overwhelmed  with  confusion,  and  almost  bereft 
of  his  faculties.     But,  in  truth.  Sir,  I  have  left 
no  room  for  an  accommodation  with  the  piety 
of  St.  James*.     My  offences  are  not  to  be  re- 
deemed  by  recantation   or  repentance.      On 
one  side,  our  warmest  patriots  would  disclaim 
me  as  a  burthen  to  their  honest  ambition.     On 
the   other,   the  vilest   prostitution,    if  Junius 
could  descend  to  it,  would  lose  its  natural 
merit  and  influence  in  the  cabinet,  and  treach- 
ery be  no  longer  a  recommendation  to  the 
royal  favor." 

To  these  extracts  may  be  added  the  ac- 
count given  of  Junius,  in  his  own  admissions, 
contained  in  his  private  letters,  and  gathered 
from  expressions  in  his  public   letters  ;    and 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  175 

they  will  be  found,  I  think,  to  increase  the 
strength  of  our  proof  in  favor  of  Mr.  Horne. 
They  have  at  least  the  effect  of  destroying 
Mr.  Francis'  claims.  In  the  comparison 
between  Tooke  and  Mr.  F.,  it  is  conclusive 
against  Mr.  Francis.  To  the  single  pre- 
tensions of  Mr.  F.,  it  has  a  more  decided 
application  than  to  those  of  any  other  claim- 
ant, and  therefore  increases  the  presumption 
In  favor  of  Horne  Tooke. 


M 


CHAPTER  IX. 

I  NOW  approach  the  celebrated  controversy  between 
John  Horne  and  Junius,  which  is  mainly  relied  on 
by  those  who  argue  against  Mr.  Horne's  pretensions 
to  the  authorship  of  Junius,  as  decisive  of  the  question. 
Upon  the  first  view,  it  does,  indeed,  seem  to  have  this 
effect,  but  a  closer  examination  of  the  circumstances, 
under  which  the  correspondence  originated,  the  rela- 
tive situation  of  HoRNE  with  Wilkes,  and  Junius  with 
Wilkes,   and    the   nature   and    causes   of    the  quarrel 
which  separated  the  bodies  of  the  popular  party,  will,  I 
think,  weaken  the  force  of  this  reasoning.     The  whole 
correspondence  appears  to  me,  (and   I  will  state  my 
reasons)  to  be  a  mere  Jinesse — a  bold   and  successful 
attempt  to  turn  public  attention  from  the  author,  and 
disunite  forever  the  ideas  of  Horne  and  Junius. 

John  Wilkes,  Esq.,  Alderman  of  London,  and  M.  P. 
for  Middlesex,  and  John  Horne,  clerk,  had  been,  up 

23 


« 


i78  MEMOIRS    OF 

to  tlie  time  of  this  correspondence,  joint  leaders  of  the 
popular  party  in  the  city  of  London.  But  united  as 
ihey  were  in  advancing  tlie  public  cause,  their  char- 
acters and  circumstances,  and  I  may  add,  their  ultimate 
views,  were  too  radically  dift'erent,  to  permit  them  to 
feel  a  personal  cordiality  for  each  other,  or  agree  long 
in  the  prosecution  of  the  same  public  aim.  Scrupu- 
lously just  and  honorable  himself,  Mr.  HoRNE  could 
not  but  be  disgusted  with  the  follies,  and  consequent 
necessities,  which  Mr.  Wilkes  could  not,  by  any  argu- 
ment, be  induced  to  forego,  even  for  the  most  important 
public  objects ;  nor  could  he  forbear  from  constantly 
and  loudly  expressing  his  indignation  at  the  luxurious 
and  profligate  course  of  life,  shamelessly  persisted  in  by 
a  man,  who  was  supported  by  the  bounty  of  the  public. 
In  addition  to  this  cause  of  difference,  Mr.  Wilkes' 
glaring  inconsistency  on  the  subject  of  the  American 
war,  and  his  meanness  for  preventing  a  vote  of  money 
to  the  printer,  Bingley,  hastened  the  hostilities  which 
ensued  between  them.  The  contest  commenced  by  an 
account,  which  was  published  in  the  Public  Advertiser 
of  October  31,  1770,  of  a  meeting  held  at  Westminster, 
relative  to  the  impeachment  of  Lord  North.  This 
account  reflected  severely  upon  Mr.  Wilkes,  who  was 
the  chairman  on  that  occasion ;  and  it  was  attributed 


# 


JOHN    IIORNE   TOOKE.  179 

10  Mr.  HoRNE.  Mr.  Wilkes  replied,  under  his  own 
signature,  and  was  seconded  by  two  anonymous 
writers  under  the  signatures  of  "  Scourge,"  and  "  CaU 
o-nine-tails."  Mr.  HoRNE  then  commenced  his  public 
letters  to  Mr.  Wilkes,  by  a  reply,  published  in  the  Pub- 
lic Advertiser,  and  dated  Monday,  January  14,  1771. 
This  letter  commenced  in   the  following  manner : — 

"  Sir, — An  agent  of  yours  declared  some  time  ago, 
that  it  would  be  useful  to  your  affairs,  to  come  to  an 
open  rupture  with  me.  From  this  opinion  has  flowed 
all  the  abuse  which  has  lately  been  bestowed  upon  me 
in  the  public  papers.  I  believe  you  have  mistaken  a 
strong  inclination  for  policy,  and  have  yielded  to  na- 
tural bias,  in  opposition  to  honesty,  and  your  interest." 

Mr.  Wilkes  replied  with  acrimony,  and  the  corres- 
pondence continued,  until  it  was  closed  by  a  final 
letter  of  Mr.  Horne's,  dated  July  10th.  The  letter 
o£  Junius,  in  which  the  mention  of  Mr.  Horne  was 
made,  from  which  the  controversy  with  him  took  rise, 
is  dated  July  9th,  the  very  day  before  ;  and  Mr. 
Horne's  reply  is  dated  July  13.  These  dates  are  of 
some  little  importance,  and  deserve  some  attention. 
Wilkes  had  announced  by  his  letter,  dated  June  20th, 


180  MEMOIRS   OF 

his  intention  of  making  no  further  reply  to  Mr. 
HoRNE.  HoRNE,  thus  left  in  possession  of  the  field, 
was  attacked  by  the  uivisible  Junius,  on  the  very  day 
preceding  the  pubUcation  of  his  own  last  letter,  and  at  a 
time  when  popular  feeling  was  very  strong  against 
him.  Shut  out  by  his  quarrel  with  Wilkes,  from  an 
active  participation  in  election  politics,  and  having 
just  finished  his  newspaper  controversy,  the  attack 
found  him  at  perfect  leisure  to  vindicate  himself,  and 
(upon  the  supposition  that  he  was  himself  his  own  as- 
sailant for  the  purposes  of  justification)  the  time  was 
well  chosen. 

It  cannot  be  denied,  that  the  contest  with  Mr. 
Wilkes  had  made  Mr.  HoR^^E  very  odious  to  the 
supporters  of  the  latter  gentleman  ;  and,  as  he  was  in 
the  zenith  of  his  popularity,  Mr.  Horne  was  propor- 
tionably  disliked,  Of  the  justice  of  the  dispute,  no 
doubt  possibly  could  be  entertained.  The  impolicy 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Horne  is  equally  clear;  and  not- 
withstanding the  firmness  and  ability  with  which  he 
defended  himself,  and  attacked  the  motives  and  conduct 
of  Wilkes,  he  met  the  usual  fate  of  all  who  attempt  to 
stem  the  current  of  popular  feeling,  by  endeavouring  to 
expose  the  errors  of  its  idol.     The  public  declared  in 


JOHN    HORNE   TOOKE.  181 

lavor  of  Mr.  Wilkes,  and  a  division  between  the  popu- 
lar leaders  hurt  the  public  cause.  It  was  under  such 
circumstances,  that  Junius,  by  an  unfounded  and  un- 
provoked attack,  gave  Mr.  Horne  an  opportunity  of 
complete  justification.  This  favors  our  supposition, 
and  several  other  circumstances  strengthen  it  further. 

The  personal  feelings  and  honor  of  Mr.  Horne  had 
been  wounded  by  Mr.  Wilkes,  in  their  controversy. 
Charges  had  been  brought  against  him  covertly  and 
anonymously  by  Wilkes,  or  under  his  direction,  to 
which  Mr.  HoRNE  was  bound  to  make  reply,  or  forfeit 
his  credit  with  the  public.  The  quarrel  drew  him  into 
an  expose  of  the  character  of  Mr.  Wilkes,  and  his 
own  private  causes  of  complaint  against  him,  which 
causes  involved  a  considerable  degree  of  moral  tur- 
pitude on  Wilkes.  This  Mr.  Horne  was  bound 
in  honor  to  do,  and  his  refutation  was  complete, 
as  to  his  own  character,  and  his  charges  against  his  ad- 
versary were  as  fully  proven.  In  all  this,  however,  the 
vindication  of  his  own  personal  share  in  the  transactions 
of  the  day,  and  the  discussion  of  the  removal  of  lesser 
evils,  were  alone  the  objects  of  Mr.  Horne.  No  man 
was  more  capable  than  he  was,  to  distinguish  between 
the   man  and  his  cause ;    and  no  man   more  willing, 


182  MEMOIRS   OF 

as  his  life  uniformly  showed,  to  postpone  the  gratifi- 
cation of  his  own  feelings  to  the  public  good.  His 
motives  of  conduct,  on  such  occasions,  are  expressed 
by  himself,  in  one  of  his  letters  to  Wilkes,  in  this 
strong  manner : — 

"  For  these  purposes,  if  it  were  possible  to  suppose 
that  the  great  enemy  of  mankind  could  be  rendered 
instrumental  to  their  happiness,  so  far  the  devil  himself 
should  be  supported  by  the  people.  For  a  human  in- 
strument they  should  go  further — he  should  not  only 
be  supported,  but  thanked  and  rewarded,  for  the  good 
which  perhaps  he  did  not  intend,  as  an  encouragement 
to  others  to  follow  his  example. 

"As  far  as  the  support  of  Mr.  Wilkes  tends  to  that 
point,  1  am  as  warm  as  the  warmest ;  but  all  the  lines 
of  your  projects  are  drawn  towards  a  different  centre — 
yourself — and  if  with  a  good  intention  1  have  been  dili- 
gent to  gain  your  powers,  which  may  be  perverted  to 
mischief,  I  am  bound  to  be  doubly  diligent  to  prevent 
their being  so  employed." 

Thus  then  he  avowed  his  disposition  not  to  abandon 
the  support  of  Mr.  Wilkes,  so  far  as  his  cause  was  a 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  183 

public  cause.  His  intentions  were  to  correct  his  er- 
rors, and  scrutinize  his  conduct,  to  make  him  worthy 
of  that  support:  and  hence  the  violence  of  Mr.  Wilkes, 
and  his  partizans,  against  Horne.  Holding  these 
sentiments,  (and  they  axe  the  sentiments  of  Junius,) 
is  it  in  any  light  to  be  wondered  at,  that  he  should 
support  anonymously  as  Junius,  the  man  whom  his 
public  support  could  avail  nothing,  but  to  bring  addi- 
tional misrepresentations  on  the  supporter  ?  Identified 
as  Mr.  Wilkes  was,  with  reform  of  parliament,  the 
right  of  representation,  and  popular  rights  in  general, 
it  was  not  for  such  a  man  as  Horne  to  stop  mid- 
way, or  spare  himself  in  the  contest,  on  his  behalf. 

In  these  views,  then,  as  artifice  to  divert  public  at- 
tention, as  a  means  of  vindicating  himself  and  his 
character,  and  as  anonymous  support,  8ic.  of  the 
popular  candidate,  whom  he  could  not  openly  aid,  the 
pretended  controversy  was  eminently  successful. 

The  weakness  of  the  charge  made  against  Horne, 
by  Junius,  and  the  precipitancy  with  which  it  was 
given  up,  upon  Horne's  public  denial  and  demand 
of  proof,  have  often  been  remarked,  but  never  ac- 
counted for  before.      The    slanders  with  which  the 


184  MEMOIRS   OF 

newspapers  had  been  filled,  relative  to  HoRNE,  were 
collected    in    a    compendious   sentence,     and    urged 
gravely,  and  with  apparent  bitterness,  by  a  most  popu- 
lar writer.     The  accused  party  demands  explanation 
and  proof,  unequivocally  denying  their  truth.      The 
accuser,   though  backed   by  the   popular  opinion,  and 
with  all  the  arguments  that  Wilkes  and  his  partizans 
had  furnished  for  months  before,  reiterates  the  charge, 
without  offering  proof,  and  adds  abuse.     The  accused 
replies  with  a  full  and  triumphant  vindication  of  his 
character,  and  recriminates  upon  his  adversary,  who 
retires  from  the  contest,  and  leaves  the  party  acquitted, 
and   in  possession  of  the  field.     It  would  be  beyond 
the  belief  of  any  man,  to  assert  that  Junius  might  not 
have  made  out  a  better  case  than  he  did,  or  that  HoRNE 
would    not   have   found  himself  better  matched   than 
with  Wilkes,  had  the  same  spirit  that  actuated  Junius 
against  the  Duke  of  Grafton,  pushed  him  to  the  same 
extremities.     The  whole  afiair  has,  with  this  explana- 
tion,  the  air  of  an   ingenious  Jinesse,   through   which 
the  author,  under  his  own  name,  might  acquire  addi- 
tional  reputation   as   a   writer,   at  the    same    time   he 
vindicated  his   reputation   as    a   politician,    and   as    a 
man  of  honor ;   while  in  his  anonymous  character,  he 
urged  those  measures,  which  the  peculiarity  of  his  own 


JOHN    HORNE    TOOKE.  185 

situation  prevented  him  from  asserting  with  any  pro- 
bability of  success. 

It  is  urged  in  opposition  to  all  this,  that  it  is  highly 
improbable,   that  any  man  would  use   of  himself,   the 
terms  of  reproach  which  were   so  freely  bestowed  by 
both  parties  in  this  contest.     To  this,  several  answers 
may  be  given,  each  of  which  is  of  some  force  in  obvi- 
ating the  objection.     In   matters  of  high  importance, 
where   there  are  reasonable  arguments  to  answer,  or 
important  objects  to  attain,  men  of  cool  judgment  and 
independent  spirit,  care  little  for  opprobrious  epithets. 
These  are  only  for  effect  upon  the   multitude,   and  are 
used  in  the  present  instance,  most  probably  to  increase 
the  public  opinion  of  the  sincerity  of  the  combatants. 
From  the  newspapers  of  the   day,  could   be   culled  a 
hundred  vituperative  figures  of  speech,  applied  in  every 
variety,  and  form  of  expression  to  each,  by  the  parti- 
zans  of  the  ministry,  and  the  friends  of  Wilkes.     It  re- 
quired no  great  range  of  reading,  or  labor  of  selection, 
to  cull  from  them  all  the  reproachful  terms  which  were 
necessary  to   sustain  the  character,    and   evidence   the 
sincerity  of  each.     The  most  obvious  reproach  against 
Mr.  HoRNE,  in  his  own  person,  was  his  original  pro- 
fession.     Of   this    he    frequently   spoke    himself;    his 

24 


186  MEMOIRS    OF 

opponents  constantly  rung  the  changes  upon  it,  antl 
his  old  friends  now  became  his  enemies,  spoke  sneer- 
ingly  of  "  meddling  iniests''' — Parson  HoRNE. 

Accordingly  the  sarcasms  of  Junius  are  addressed 
against  this  popular  cause  of  odium.  The  obscurity 
and  unaccountability  of  Junius,  formed  with  the  other 
topics  of  newspaper  invective — the  burden  of  Horne's 
replies,  and  thus  mutual  revilings,  were  handed  back- 
ward and  forward,  with  as  much  industry  and  apparent 
sincerity,  as  though  the  two  hands,  in  which  they  were 
tossed  to  and  fro,  did  not  belong  to  the  same  body. 
That  such  insensibility  to  printed  calumny,  was  a 
peculiar  trait  in  Mr.  Horne,  and  that  he  is  from  that 
circumstance,  likely  to  have  written  for  the  purposes 
of  mystery,  disparagingly  of  himself  I  shall  show  by 
a  similar  circumstance,  avowed  by  himself,  in  his  re- 
marks to  the  jury,  after  his  acquittal  for  high  treason, 
inl794:— • 

"  Every  man  who  came  to  me,  of  every  opinion 
"  whatever,  if  he  asked  my  opinion,  1  corrected 
"  his  books — a  gentleman  in  court  wrote  a  book 
"  against  me,  I  corrected  the  book  myself." 


JOHN   HORNE    TOOKE.  187 

This  fact  proves  his  insensibility  to  the  common  feel- 
ings of  literary  antagonists,  and  is  strong  upon  this  point. 
Whether  he  did  not,  in  a  mysterious  manner,  allude  to 
the  very  correspondence  of  which  I  am  speaking,  and 
describe  himself  as  "  a  gentleman  in  court,"  is  a  ques- 
tion which  cannot  possibly  be  answered  decisively.  I 
think  with  some  of  those  who  have  examined  Horne's 
pretensions  to  this  claim,  that  there  is  the  greatest  pro- 
bability, that  he  covertly  alluded  to  the  letters  of 
Junius,  he  himself  being  the  author. 

I  shall  quote  from  Mr.  Stephens'  life  of  JoHN 
HoRNE  TooKE,  Vol.  I,  page  415,  in  which  he  says, 
"  I  have  been  assured  more  than  once,  by  the  subject 
of  this  memoir,  that  he  absolutely  Jcnew  the  author 
who  wrote  under  the  name  of  JuniusJ'^  To  another 
gentleman,  he  lately  added,  "  that  Junius  was  still 
alive."* 


*  This  is  precisely  corroborated  in  his  private  conversations  with  (he 
author  of  this,  about  twelve  years  previous,  as  detailed  in  the  first  chapter, 
pages  17  and  18,  ante. 


> 


4 


CHAPTER  X. 

Junius,  in  his  letter  to  his  grace  the  Duke  of 
Grafton,  dated  July  9,  1771,  first  commencing  his 
attack  on  Mr.  HoRNE,  by  observing  : — 

"  The  unfortunate  success  of  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Horne's  endeavours  in  support  of  the  ministerial 
nomination  of  sheriffs,  will,  I  fear,  obstruct  his  prefer- 
ment. Permit  me  to  recommend  him  to  your  grace's 
protection.  You  will  find  him  copiously  gifted  with 
those  qualities  of  the  heart,  which  usually  direct  you 
in  the  choice  of  your  friendships.  He  too,  was  Mr. 
Wilkes'  friend  ;  and,  as  incapable  as  you  are,  of  the 
liberal  resentment  of  a  gentleman.  No,  my  lord,  it 
was  the  solitary,  vindictive  malice  of  a  monk,  brood- 
ing over  the  infirmities  of  his  friend,  until  he  thought 
they  quickened  into  public  life,  and  feasting  with  a 
rancorous  rapture,  upon  the  sordid  catalogue  of  his 
distresses.      Now  let  him    go  back    to  his  cloister. 


190  MEMOIRS    OF 

The  church  is  a  proper  retreat  for  him.     In  his  princi- 
ples, he  is  already  a  bishop. 

"  The  mention  of  this  man  has  moved  me  from  my 
natural  moderation. 

Junius." 


FROM   THE   REVEREND   MR.   HORNE   TO   JUNIUS. 

«  July  13,  1771. 
*'  Sir — Farce,  Comedy  and  Tragedy — Wilkes,  Foote 
and  Junius,  united    at  the  same  time  against  one  poor 
parson,    are  fearful   odds.     The  two  former   are  only 
laboring  in  their  vocation,   and  may  equally  plead,   in 
excuse,  that  their   aim   is   a   livelihood.     I  admit  the 
plea   for  the  second:   his  is  an  honest  calling,  and  my 
clothes  were   lawful   game  ;  but  I   cannot   so  readily 
approve    Mr.  Wilkes,    or   commend   him   for   making 
patroitism  a  trade,  and   a  fraudulent  trade.     But  what 
shall  I  say  to  Junius  9  The  grave,  the  solemn,  the  di- 
dactic !  Ridicule,  indeed,  has  been  ridiculously  called 
the   test   of  truth  ;  but   surely,    to   confess   that  you 
lose  your  natural  moderation  when  mention  is  made 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  191 

of  the  man,  does  not  promise  much  truth  or  justice 
when  you  speak  of  him  yourself. 

"  You  charge  me  with  *  a  new  zeal  in  support  of 
administration,'  and  with  '  endeavours  in  support 
of  the  ministerial  nomination  of  sheriffs.'  The  re- 
putation which  your  talents  have  deservedly  gained 
to  the  signature  of  Junius,  draws  from  me  a  reply, 
which  I  disdained  to  give  to  the  anonymous  lies  of 
Mr.  Wilkes.  You  make  frequent  use  of  the  word 
gentleman  ;  I  only  call  myself  a  man,  and  desire  no 
other  distinction.  If  you  are  either,  you  are  bound  to 
make  good  your  charges,  or  to  confess  that  you  haive 
done  me  a  hasty  injustice  upon  no  authority. 

"  I  put  the  matter  fairly  to  issue.  I  say  that,  so  far 
from  any  '  new  zeal  in  support  of  administration,'  I 
am  possessed  v/ith  the  utmost  abhorrence  of  their 
measures  ;  and  that  I  have  ever  shown  myself,  and 
am  still  ready,  in  any  rational  manner,  to  lay  down  all 
I  have — iny  life,  in  opposition  to  those  measures.  I 
say,  that  I  have  not,  and  never  have  had,  any  commu- 
nication or  connection  of  any  kind,  directly  or  indi- 
rectly, with  any  courtier  or  ministerial  man,  or  any  of 
their  adherents ;  that  I  never  have  received,  or  solicit- 


192  MEMOIRS    OF 

ed,  or  expected,  or  desired,  or  do  now  hope  for,  any 
reward  of  any  sort,  from  any  party  or  set  of  men  in 
administration,  or  opposition.  I  say,  tiiat  1  never  used 
any  '  endeavours  in  support  of  the  ministerial  nomi- 
nation of  sheriffs  ;'  that  I  did  not  solicit  any  one  livery- 
man for  his  vote  for  any  one  of  the  candidates,  nor 
employ  any  other  person  to  solicit ;  and  that  I  did 
not  write  one  single  line  or  word  in  favor  of  Messrs. 
Plumbe  and  Kirkman,  whom  I  understand  to  have 
been  supported  by  the  ministry. 

"  You  are  bound  to  refute  what  I  here  advance,  or 
to  lose  your  credit  for  veracity.  You  must  produce 
facts  ;  surmise  and  general  abuse,  in  however  elegant 
language,  ought  not  to  pass  for  proofs.  You  have 
every  advantage,  and  I  have  every  disadvantage  : 
you  are  unknown,  I  give  my  name.  All  parties,  botii 
in  and  out  of  administration,  have  their  reasons  (which 
I  shall  relate  hereafter)  for  uniting  in  their  wishes 
against  me :  and  the  popular  prejudice  is  as  strongly 
in  your  favor  as  it  is  violent  against  the  parson. 

"  Singular  as  my  present  situation  is,  it  is  neither 
yninful^  nor  was  it  unforeseen.  He  is  not  fit  for  public 
business,  who   does  not,  even  at  his  entrance,  prepare 


JOHN    HORNE   TOOKE.  193 

his  mind  for  such  an  event.  Health,  fortune,  tran- 
quiUty,  and  private  connections,  I  have  sacrificed  upon 
the  ahar  of  the  pubUc ;  and  the  only  return  I  received, 
because  I  will  not  concur  to  dupe  and  mislead  a  sense- 
less multitude,  is  barely,  that  they  have  not  yet  torn 
rae  in  pieces.  That  this  has  been  the  only  return  is 
my  pride,  and  a  source  of  more  real  satisfaction  than 
honors  or  prosperity.  I  can  practice,  before  1  am  old, 
the  lessons  I  learned  in  my  youth  ;  nor  shall  1  forget 
the  words  of  an  ancient  monitor : — 


"  'Tis  the  last  key-stone 
"  That  makes  the  arch  :  the  rest  that  there  were  put, 
^'  Are  nothing  till  that  comes  to  bind  and  shut ; 
"  Then  stands  it  a  triumphal  mark  !  Then  men 
"  Observe  the  strength,  the  height,  the  why  and  when 
•"  It  was  erected  ;  and  still,  walking  under, 
"'  Meet  some  new  matter  to  look  up  and  wonder." 


*'  1  am,  Sir,  your  humble  servant, 

"  John  Horne.'' 


2i5 


194  MEMOIRS  OF 


TO  THE  REVEREND  MR.  TOOKE. 

July  24,  1771. 
"  Sir — I  cannot  descend  to  an  altercation  with  you  in 
the  newspapers  :  but  since  I  have  attacked  your  char- 
acter, and  you  complain  of  injustice,  I  think  you  have 
some  right  to  an  explanation.      You  defy  me  to  prove 
that  you  ever  solicited  a  vote,  or  wrote  a  word  in  sup- 
port  of  the  ministerial  aldermen.      Sir,  I  did  never 
suspect  you  of  such  gross  folly.     It  would  have  been 
impossible  for  Mr.  HoRNE  to  have  solicited  votes,  and 
very  difficult   to   have   written   in   the  newspapers   in 
defence   of  that   cause,   without   being  detected,   and 
brought  to  shame.     Neither  do   1   pretend   to  any  in- 
telligence concerning  you,  or  to  know  more  of  your 
conduct  than   you   yourself  have    thought  proper  to 
communicate    to    the    public.      It  is   from    your  own 
letters,  I  conclude,  that  you  have  sold  yourself  to  the 
ministry :  or,  if  that  charge  be  too  severe,  and  suppos- 
ing it  possible  to  be  deceived  by  appearances  so  very 
strongly  against  you,  what  are  your  friends   to  say  in 
your  defence  ?  Must  they  not  confess,  that,  to  gratify 
your  personal  hatred  of  Mr.  Wilkes,  you  sacrificed,  as 
far  as  depended  on  your  interest  and  abilities,  the  cause 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  J 95 

of  the  country  ?  1  can  make  allowance  for  the  violence 
of  the  passions  ;  and  if  ever  1  should  be  convinced 
that  you  had  no  motive  but  to  destroy  Wilkes,  I  shall 
then  be  ready  to  do  justice  to  your  character,  and  to 
declare  to  the  world,  that  I  despise  you  somewhat  less 
than  1  do  at  present.  But,  as  a  public  man,  I  must 
forever  condemn  you.  You  cannot  but  know,  (nay, 
you  dare  not  pretend  to  be  ignorant)  that  the  highest 
gratifications  of  which  the  most  detestable**in  this 
nation  is  capable,  would  have  been  the  defeat  of 
Wilkes.  I  know  that  man  much  better  than  any  of 
you.  Nature  intended  him  only  for  a  good  humoured 
fool.  A  systematical  education,  with  long  practice, 
has  made  him  a  consummate  hypocrite.  Yet  this  man, 
to  say  nothing  of  his  worthy  ministers,  you  have  most 
assiduously  labored  to  gratify.  To  exclude  Wilkes, 
it  was  not  necessary  you  should  solicit  votes  for  his 
opponents.  W^e  incline  the  balance  as  effectually  by 
lessening  the  weight  in  one  scale,  as  by  increasing  it 
in  the  other. 

"The  mode  of  your  attack  upon  Wilkes  (though  I 
am  far  from  thinking  meanly  of  your  abilities)  convin- 
ces me  that  you  either  want  judgment  extremely,  or 
that  you  are  blinded  by  your  resentment.     You  ought 


196  MEMOIRS    OV 

to  have  foreseen  that  the  charges  you  urged  against 
Wilkes  could  never  do  him  any  mischief.  After  all, 
when  we  expected  discoveries  highly  interesting  to  the 
community,  what  a  pitiful  detail  did  it  end  in  ! — some 
old  clothes — a  Welch  pony — a  French  footman — and 
a  hamper  of  claret.  Indeed,  Mr.  HoRNE,  the  public 
should  and  will  forgive  him  his  claret  and  his  footman, 
and  even  the  ambition  of  making  his  brother  cham- 
berlain of  London,  as  long  as  he  stands  forth  against 
a  ministry  and  parliament  who  are  doing  every  thing 
they  can  to  enslave  the  country,  and  as  long  as  he  is 
a  thorn  in  the  King's  side.  You  will  not  suspect  me 
of  setting  Wilkes  up  for  a  perfect  character.  The 
question  to  the  public  is,  where  shall  we  find  a  man 
who,  with  purer  principles,  will  go  the  lengths,  and 
run  the  hazards,  that  he  has  done  ?  The  season  calls 
for  such  a  man,  and  he  ought  to  be  supported.  What 
would  have  been  the  triumph  of  that  odious  hypocrite 
and  his  minions,  if  Wilkes  had  been  defeated?  It  was 
not  your  fault,  reverend  sir,  that  he  did  not  enjoy  it 
completely.  But  now  I  promise  you,  you  have  so 
little  power  to  do  mischief,  that  I  nuicli  question, 
whether  the  ministry  will  adhere  to  the  promises  they 
have  made  you.  It  will  be  in  vain  to  say  that  I  am 
a  partizan  of  Mr.  Wilkes,  or  personally  your  enemy. 


JOHN   HORNE    TOOKE.  197 

You  will  convince  no  man,  for  you  do  not  believe  it 
yourself.  Yet  1  confess  I  am  a  little  oliended  at  the 
low  rate  at  which  you  seem  to  value  my  understand- 
ing. I  beg,  Mr.  HoRNE,  you  will  hereafter  believe, 
that  I  measiu-e  the  integrity  of  men  by  their  conduct, 
not  by  their  professions.  Such  tales  may  entertain 
Mr.  Oliver,  or  your  grandmother ;  but,  trust  me, 
they  are  thrown  away  upon  Junius. 

"  You  say  you  are  a  man.  Was  it  generous,  was 
it  manly,  repeatedly  to  introduce  into  a  newspaper, 
the  name  of  a  young  lady  with  whom  you  must  here- 
tofore have  lived  on  terms  of  politeness  and  good 
humour  ?  But  1  have  done  with  you.  In  my  opinion, 
your  credit  is  irrecoverably  ruined.  Mr.  Townshend, 
I  think,  is  nearly  in  the  same  predicament.  Poor 
OUver  has  been  shamefully  duped  by  3'ou.  You  have 
made  him  sacrifice  all  the  honor  he  got  by  his  impris- 
onment. As  for  Mr.  Sawbridge,  whose  character  I 
really  respect,  I  am  astonished  he  does  not  see  through 
your  duplicity.  Never  was  so  base  a  design  so  poorly 
conducted.     This  *letter,  you  see,  is  not  intended  for 


•  This  letter  was  transmitted  privately  by  the  printer  to  Mr  Horse,  at 
Junius^  request.  Mr.  IIurne  returned  it  to  the  printer,  with  directions  to 
publish  it. 


198  MEMOIRS    OF 

the  public  ;   but,  if  you  think  it  will  do  you  any  ser- 
vice, you  are  at  liberty  to  publish  k. 

'«  Junius." 


FROM   THE   REVEREND   MR.   HORNE   TO   JUNIUS. 

July  31,  1771. 
"  Sh' — You  have  disappointed  me.  When  I  told 
you  that  surmise  and  general  abuse,  in  however  elegant 
language,  ought  not  to  pass  for  proofs,  I  evidently 
hinted  at  the  reply  which  I  expected :  but  you  have 
dropped  your  usual  elegance,  and  seem  willing  to  try 
what  will  be  the  efi'ect  of  surmise  and  general  abuse 
in  very  coarse  language.  Your  answer  to  my  last 
letter  (which,  I  hope,  was  cool,  and  temperate,  and 
modest)  has  convinced  me,  that  my  idea  of  a  ma7i  is 
much  superior  to  yours  of  a  gentleman.  Of  your 
former  letters,  I  have  always  said,  Materien  superahat 
opus :  I  do  not  think  so  of  the  present :  the  principles 
are  more  detestable  than  the  expressions  are  mean 
and  illiberal.  1  am  contented  that  all  those  who 
adopt  the  one,  should  forever  load  me  with  the  other. 

"  I  appeal  to  the  common  sense  of  the  public,  to 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  199 

which  I  have  ever  directed  myself:  I  believe  they  have 
it  ;  though  I  am  sometimes  half  inclined  to  suspect, 
that  Mr.  Wilkes  has  formed  a  truer  judgment  of  man- 
kind than  I  have.  However,  of  this  I  am  sure,  that 
there  is  nothing  else  upon  which  to  place  a  steady  reli- 
ance. Trick,  and  low  cunning,  and  addressing  their 
prejudices  and  passions,  may  be  the  fitest  means  to 
carry  a  particular  point ;  if  they  have  not  common 
sense,  there  is  no  prospect  of  gaining  for  them  any 
real  permanent  good.  The  same  passions  which  have 
been  artfully  used  by  an  honest  man  for  their  advant- 
age, may  be  more  artfully  employed  by  a  dishonest 
man  for  their  destruction.  I  desire  them  to  apply 
their  common  sense  to  this  letter  of  Junius,  not  for  my 
sake,  but  their  own  ;  it  concerns  them  most  nearly ;  for 
the  principles  it  contains  lead  to  disgrace  and  ruin, 
and  are  inconsistent  with  every  notion  of  civil  society. 

"  The  charges  which  Junius  has  brought  against 
me,  are  made  ridiculous  by  his  own  inconsistency  and 
self-contradiction.  He  charges  me  positively  with 
'  a  new  zeal  in  support  of  administration ;'  and  with 
'  endeavours  in  support  of  the  ministerial  nomination 
of  sheriffs.'  And  he  assigns  two  inconsistent  motives 
for  my  conduct :  either  that  I  have  '  sold  myself  to  the 


200  MEMOIRS    OF 

ministry ;'  or  am  instigated  '  by  tlie  solitary  vindictive 
maUct  of  a  monk :'  either  that  I  am  influenced  by  a 
sordid  desire  of  gain,  or  am  hurried  on  by  *  personal 
hatred,  and  blinded  by  resentment.'  In  his  letter  to 
the  Duke  of  Grafton,  he  supposes  me  actuated  by  both: 
in  his  letter  to  me,  he  at  first  doubts  which  of  the  two, 
whether  interest  or  revenge  is  my  motive.  However, 
at  last  he  determines  for  the  former,  and  again  posi- 
tively asserts,  '  that  the  ministry  have  made  me  pro- 
mises :"  yet  he  produces  no  instance  of  corruption, 
nor  pretends  to  have  any  intelligence  of  a  ministerial 
connection.  He  mentions  no  cause  of  personal  hatred 
to  Mr.  Wilkes,  nor  any  reason  for  my  resentment  or 
revenge  ;  nor  has  Mr.  Wilkes  himself  ever  hinted  any, 
though  repeatedly  pressed.  When  Junius  is  called 
upon  to  justify  his  accusation,  he  answers,  'He  cannot 
descend  to  an  altercation  with  me  in  the  newspapers.' 
Junius,  who  exists  only  in  the  newspapers,  who  ac- 
knowledges he  has  '  attacked  my  character'  there,  and 
thinks  *I  have  some  right  to  an  explanation;'  yet  this 
Junius  'cannot  descend  to  an  altercation  in  the 
newspapers!'  And  because  he  cannot  descend  to  an 
altercation  with  me  in  the  newspapers,  he  sends  a  letter 
of  abuse,  by  the  printer,  which  he  finishes  with  telling 
me,  '  I  am  at  liberty  to  publish  it/     This,  to  be  sure, 


JOHN   HORNE    TOOKE.  201 

is  a  most  excellent  method  to   avoid  an  altercation  in 
the  newspapers  ! 

"  The  proofs  of  his  positive  charges  are  as  extraor- 
dinary. •  He  does  not  pretend  to  any  inielligence 
concerning  me,  or  to  know  more  of  my  conduct  than 
I  myself  have  thought  proper  to  communicate  to  the 
public'  He  does  not  suspect  me  of  such  gross  folly 
as  to  have  solicited  votes,  or  to  have  written  anony- 
mously in  the  newspapers  ;  because  it  is  impossible  to 
do  either  without  being  detected,  and  brought  to  shame. 
Junius  says  this !  who  yet  imagines  t|jat  he  has  him- 
self written  two  years  under  that  signature  (and  more 
nnder  others)  without  being  detected  !  his  warmest  ad- 
mirers will  not  hereafter  add,  without  being  brought  to 
shame.  But,  though  he  did  never  suspect  me  of  such 
gross  folly  as  to  run  the  hazard  of  being  detected,  and 
brought  to  shame,  by  anonymous  writing,  he  insists 
that  I  have  been  guilty  of  much  grosser  folly,  of  in- 
curring the  certainty  of  shame  and  detection,  by  writ- 
ings signed  with  my  name  !  But  this  is  a  small  flight 
for  the  towering  Junius :  '  He  is  far  from  thinking 
meanly  of  my  abilities,'  though  '  he  is  convinced  that 
I  want  judgment  extremely  ;'   and  can  *  really  respect 

26 


202  MEMOIRS   OF 

Mr.  Sawbridge's  character,'  though  he  declares  him 
to  be  so  poor  a  creature,  as  not  to  '  see  through  the 
basest  design,  conducted  in  the  poorest  manner  !'  And 
this  most  base  design  is  conducted  in  the  poorest 
manner  by  a  man,  whom  he  does  not  suspect  of  gross 
folly,  and  of  whose  abilities  he  is  far  from  thinking 
meanly  ! 

"  Should  we  ask  Junius  to  reconcile  these  contra- 
dictions, and  explain  this  nonsense,  the  answer  is 
ready :  *  He  cannot  descend  to  an  altercation  in  the 
newspapers.'  He  feels  no  reluctance  to  attack  the 
character  of  any  man :  the  throne  is  not  too  high,  nor 
the  cottage  too  low :  his  mighty  malice  can  grasp 
both  extremes.  He  hints  not  his  accusation  as  opi- 
nion, conjecture,  or  inference,  but  delivers  them  as 
positive  assertions.  Do  the  accused  complain  of  in- 
justice ?  He  acknowledges  they  have  some  sort  of 
right  to  an  explanation ;  but  if  thej'  ask  for  proofs  and 
facts,  he  begs  to  be  excused ;  and  though  he  is  no 
where  else  to  be  encountered,  '  he  cannot  descend  to 
an  altercation  in  the  newspapers.' 

"  And  this,  perhaps,  Junius  may  think  '  the  liberal 
rcszniimnt  of  a  gtntleman;''   this  skulking  assassina- 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  203 

♦ion  he  may  call  courage.     In  all  things,  as  in  this,  I 
hope  we  difler. 


*  I  thought  that  fortitude  had  been  a  mean. 

*  'Twixt  tear  and  rashness  ;  not  a  lust  obscene, 
'  Or  appetite  of  offending  ;   but  a  skill 

*  And  nice  discernment  between  good  and  ill, 
'  Her  ends  are  honesty  and  public  good  ; 

*  And  without  these  she  is  not  understood.' 


"  Of  two  things,  however,  he  has  condescended  to 
give  proof,  He  very  properly  produces  a  young  lady 
to  prove  that  1  am  not  a  man  ;  and  a  good  old  woman, 
my  grandmother,  to  prove  Mr.  Oliver  a  fool.  Poor 
old  soul !  she  read  her  bible  far  otherwise  than  Junius ! 
She  often  found  there,  that  the  sins  of  the  fathers  had 
been  visited  on  the  children ;  and  therefore  was  cau- 
tious, that  herself,  and  her  immediate  descendants, 
should  leave  no  reproach  on  her  posterity  :  and  they 
left  none.  How  little  could  she  foresee  this  reverse 
of  Junius,  who  visits  my  political  sins  upon  my  grand- 
mother !  I  do  not  charge  this  to  the  score  of  malice 
in  him;  it  proceeded  entirely  from  his  propensity  to 
blunder  ;  that  whilst  he  was  reproaching  me,  for  in- 
troducing, in  the  most  harmless  manner,  the  name  of 
one  female,  he  might  himself,  at  the  same  instant,  in- 
troduce two- 


204  MEMOIRS   OF 

"  I  am  represented,  alternately,  as  it  suits  Junius^ 
purpose,  under  the  opposite  characters  of  a  gloomif 
monk,  and  a  man  of  ])oliteness  and  good  humour.  I 
am  called  ^'- a  solitary  monk,''  in  order  to  confirm  the 
notion  given  of  me,  in  Mr.  Wilkes'  anonymous  para- 
graphs, that  I  never  langh.  And  the  terms  of  polite- 
ness and  good  humour,  on  which  1  am  said  to  have 
lived  heretofore  with  the  young  lady,  are  intended  to 
confirm  other  paragraphs  of  Mr.  Wilkes,  in  which  he 
is  supposed  to  have  ofiended  me  by  refusing  his  daugh- 
ter. Ridiculous !  Yet  I  cannot  deny  but  that  Junius 
has  proved  me  unmanly  and  ungenerous,  as  clearly 
as  he  has  shown  me  cori'upt  and  vindictive ;  and  I 
will  tell  him  more  :  I  have  paid  the  present  ministry 
as  many  visits  and  compliments  as  ever  I  paid  to  the 
young  lady  ;  and  shall  all  my  life  treat  them  with  the 
same  politeness  and  good  humour. 

"  But  Junius  '  begs  me  to  believe,  that  he  ireasures 
the  integrity  of  men  by  their  conduct,  not  by  their 
professions.'  Sure  this  Jiinius  must  imagine  his 
readers  as  void  of  understanding  as  he  is  of  modesty ! 
Where  shall  we  find  the  standard  of  his  integrity? 
By  what  arc  we  to  measure  the  conduct  of  this  lurking 
assassin  ?   And   he  savs  this   to  me.   whose  conduct. 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  20S^ 

wherever  T  could  personally  appear,  has  been  as  direct 
and  open,   and  public,  as  my  words.     1  have  not,  like 
him,   concealed   myself  in   my  chamber,   to   shoot  my 
arrows  out  of  the  window ;    nor  contented  myself  to 
view  the  battle  from  afar  ;   but   publicly  mixed  in  the 
engagement,  and  shared  the  danger.     To  whom  have 
I,    like    him,   refused    my   name,    upon    complaint    of 
injury  ?    What  printer  have   I   desired  to  conceal  me  ? 
In  the  infinite  variety  of  business  in  which  1  have  been 
concerned,  where  it  is  not  so  tasy  to  be  faultless,  which 
of  my  actions  can  he  arraign  ?  To  what  danger  has  any 
man  been  exposed,  which  I  have  not  faced  ? — Informa- 
tion, action^  imprisonment,  or  death'?  What  labor  have  I 
refused  ?  What  expense  have  I  declined?  What  pleasure 
have  I  not  renounced  f  But  Junius,  to  whom  no  conduct 
belongs,   '  measures  the  integrity  of  men  by  their  con- 
duct, not  by  their  professions :'   himself,  all  the  while, 
being  nothing   but  professions,  and  those  too  anony- 
mous.    The  political    ignorance,  or  wilful  falsehood, 
of  this  declaimer  is  extreme.     His  own  former  letters 
justify  both  my  conduct  and   those  whom  his  last  letter 
abuses :    for   the    public   measures    which  Junius  has 
been  all  along  defending,  were  ours  whom  he  attacks ; 
and  the  uniform  opposer  of  those  measures  has  been 
Mr.  Wilkes,  whose  bad  actions  and  intentions  he  en- 
deavours to  screen. 


206  MEMOIRS   OF 

"  Let  Junius  now,  if  he  pleases,  change  his  abuse, 
and   quiting  his   loose  hold  of  interest  and   revenge, 
accuse  me  of  vanity,  and  call  this  defence  boasting. 
I  own  1   have  pride  to  see   statutes   decreed,  and  the 
highest  honors   conferred,   for  measures   and  actions 
which  all  men  have  approved  ;  whilst  those  who  coun- 
selled  and  caused  them,   are  execrated  and   insulted* 
The  darkness  in  which  Junius  thinks  himself  shrouded 
has  not  concealed  him  ;  nor  the  artifice  of  only  attack- 
ing under  that  signature  those  he  would   pull  down, 
whilst  he  recommends  by  other  ways  those  he  would 
have  promoted,  disguised  from  me  whose   partizan  he 
is.     When  Lord  Chatham  can  forgive  the   awkward 
situation  in  which,  for  the  sake  of  the  public,  he  was 
designedly  placed  by  the  thanks  to  him  from  the  city, 
and  when  Wilkes'   name  ceases  to  be  necessary   to 
Lord  Rockingham,  to  keep  up  a  clamour  against  the 
persons  of  the  ministry,  without  obliging  the  different 
factions,  now  in  opposition,  to  bind  themselves  before- 
hand to   some   certain  points,  and  to  stipulate  some 
precise  advantages   to   the   public;  then,  and  not  till 
then,  may  those  whom  he  now  abuses  expect  the  ap- 
probation of  Junius.     The  approbation  of  the  public 
for  our  faithful  attention  to  their  interest,  by  endeavours 
for  those  stipulations,  which  have  made   us  as  obnox- 
ious to  the  factions  in  opposition  as  to  those  in  admin- 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  207 

istration,  is  not,  perhaps,  to  be  expected  till  some 
years  hence ;  when  the  public  will  look  back,  and  see 
how  shamefully  they  liave  been  deluded,  and  by  what 
arts  they  were  made  to  lose  the  golden  opportunity 
of  preventing  what  they  will  surely  experience, — a 
change  of  ministers,  without  a  material  change  of 
measures,  and  without  any  security  for  a  tottering 
constitution.  But  what  cares  Junius  for  the  security 
of  the  constitution  ?  He  has  now  unfolded  to  us  his 
diabolical  principles.  As  a  public  man  he  must  ever 
condemn  any  measure  which  may  tend  accidentally  to 
gratify  the  sovereign  ;  and  Mr.  Wilkes  is  to  be  sup- 
ported and  assisted  in  all  his  attempts  (no  matter  how 
ridiculous  and  mischievous  his  projects)  as  long  as  he 
continues  io  be  a  thorn  in  the  Kingh  side!  The  cause 
of  the  country,  it  seems,  in  the  opinion  of  Junius,  is 
merely  to  vex  the  King  ;  and  any  rascal  is  to  be  sup- 
ported in  any  roguery,  provided  he  can  only  thereby 
plant  a  thorn  in  the  King's  side.  This  is  the  very  ex- 
tremity of  faction,  and  the  last  degree  of  political 
wickedness.  Because  Lord  Chatham  has  been  ill 
treated  by  the  King,  and  treacherously  betrayed  by 
the  Duke  of  Grafton,  the  latter  is  to  be,  '  the  pillow 
on  which  Junius  will  rest  his  resentment ;'  and  the 
public  are  to  oppose  the  measures  of  government  from 


208  MEMOIRS   OF 

mere  motives  of  personal  enmity  to  the  sovereign  ! 
These  are  the  avowed  principles  of  the  man  who,  in 
the  same  letter,  says,  '  If  ever  he  should  be  convinced 
that  1  had  no  motive  but  to  destroy  Wilkes,  he  shall 
then  be  ready  to  do  justice  to  my  character,  and  to 
declare  to  the  world,  that  he  despises  me  somewhat  less 
than  he  does  at  present!'  Had  I  ever  acted  from  per- 
sonal affection  or  enmity  to  Mr.  Wilkes,  I  should 
justly  be  despised  :  but  what  does  he  deserve,  whose 
avowed  motive  is  personal  enmity  to  the  sovereign  ? 
The  contempt  which  I  should  otherwise  feel  for  the 
absurdity  and  glaring  inconsistency  of  Junius,  is  here 
swallowed  up  in  my  abhoiTence  of  his  principles.  The 
right  divine  and  sacredness  of  kings  is  to  me  a  sense- 
less jargon.  It  was  thought  a  daring  expression  of 
Oliver  Cromwell,  in  the  time  of  Charles  the  I.,  that, 
if  he  found  himself  placed  opposite  to  the  king  in 
battle,  he  would  discharge  his  piece  into  his  bosom  as 
soon  as  into  any  other  man's.  I  go  farther  :  had  1 
lived  in  those  days,  I  would  not  have  waited  for  chance 
to  give  me  an  opportunity  of  doing  my  duty ;  I  would 
have  sought  him  through  the  ranks,  and,  without  the 
least  personal  enmity,  have  discharged  my  piece  into 
his  bosom  rather  than  into  any  other  man's.  The 
King,  whose  actions  justify  rebellion  to  his  govern- 


-/ 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  209 

iiient,  deserves  death  from  the  hand  of  every  subject. 
And  should  such  a  time  arrive,  I  shall  be  as  free  to 
act  as  to  say;  but,  till  then,  my  attachment  to  the  per- 
son and  family  of  the  sovereign  shall  ever  be  found 
more  zealous  and  sincere  than  that  of  his  flatterers. 
I  would  offend  the  sovereign  with  as  much  reluctance 
as  the  parent :  but  if  the  happiness  and  security  of 
the  whole  family  made  it  necessary,  so  far,  and  no 
farther,  I  would  offend  him  without  remorse. 

*'  But  let  us  consider  a  little  whither  these  principles 
of  Junius  would  lead  us.  Should  Mr.  Wilkes  once 
more  commission  Mr.  Thomas  Walpole  to  procure  for 
him  a  pension  of  one  thousand  pounds,  upon  the  Irish 
establishment,  for  thirty  years,  he  must  be  supported 
in  the  demand  by  the  public,  because  it  would  mortify 
the  King! 

"  Should  he  wish  to  see  Lord  Rockingham,  and  his 
friends,  once  more  in  administration,  uncloged  by  any 
Stipulations  for  the  people,  that  he  might  again  enjoy 
a  pension  of  one  thousand  and  forty  pounds  a-year, 
viz.  from  the  first  Lord  of  the  Treasury,  500/.,  from 
the  Lords  of  the  Treasury,  60/.  each  :  from  the  Lords 
of  Trade,  40/.  each,  &ic.  the  public  must  give  up  their 

27 

• 


i2lO  MEMOIRS    OF 

attention  to  points  of  national  benefit,  and  assist  Mr. 
Wilkes  in  his  attempt,  because  it  would  mortify  the 
King! 

*'  Should  he  demand  the  government  of  Canada,  or 
of  Jamaica,  or  the  embassy  to  Constantinople,  and  in 
case  of  refusal  threaten  to  write  them  down,  as  he  had 
before  served  another  administration,  in  a-year  and  a 
half,  he  must  be  supported  in  his  pretensions,  and 
upheld  in  his  insolence,  because  it  would  mortify  the 
King ! 

"  Junius  may  choose  to  suppose  that  these  things 
cannot  happen !  But,  that  they  have  happened,  not- 
withstanding Mr.  Wilkes'  denial,  I  do  aver.  I  main- 
tain, that  Mr.  Wilkes  did  commission  Mr.  Thomas 
Walpole  to  solicit  for  him  a  pension  of  one  thousand 
pounds,  on  the  Irish  establishment,  for  thirty  years ; 
with  which,  and  a  pardon,  he  declared  he  would  be 
satisfied  :  and  that,  nothwithstanding  his  letter  to 
Mr.  Onslow,  he  did  accept  a  clandestine,  precarious, 
and  eleemosynary  pension  from  the  Rockingham 
administration,  which  they  paid  in  proportion  to,  and 
out  of  their  salaries,  and  so  entirely  was  it  ministerial, 
that,  as  any  of  them  went  out  of  the  ministry,   their 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  211 

names  were  scratched  out  of  the  list,  and  they  con- 
tributed no  longer.  I  say,  he  did  solicit  the  govern- 
ments, and  the  embassy,  and  threatened  their  refusal 
nearly  in  these  words :  '  It  cost  me  a-year  and  a 
half  to  write  down  the  last  administration  ;  should 
I  employ  as  much  time  upon  you,  very  few  of  you 
would  be  in  at  the  death.'  When  these  threats  did 
not  prevail,  he  came  over  to  England  to  embarass 
them  by  his  presence :  and  when  he  found  that  Lord 
Rockingham  was  something  firmer,  and  more  manly 
than  he  expected,  and  refused  to  be  bullied  into  what 
he  could  not  perform,  Mr.  Wilkes  declared  that  he 
could  not  leave  England  without  money ;  and  the 
Duke  of  Portland  and  Lord  Rockingham  purchased 
his  absence  with  one  hundred  pounds  a.piece,  with 
which  he  returned  to  Paris:  and  for  the  truth  of  what 
I  here  advance,  I  appeal  to  the  Duke  of  Portland,  to 
Lord  Rockingham,  to  John  Lord  Cavendish,  to  Mr. 
Walpole,  &ic.,  I  appeal  to  the  handwriting  of  Mr. 
Wilkes,  which  is  still  extant. 

''  Should  Mr.  Wdkes  afterwards  (failing  in  this 
wholesale  trade)  choose  to  dole  out  his  popularity  by 
the  pound,  and  expose  the  city  offices  to  sale  to  his 
brother,  his  attorney,  &:c.  Junius  will  tell  us,  it  is  only 


212  '  aiEMOlRS    OF 

ambition  that  he  has  to  make  them  chamberlain,  town- 
clerk,  &.C.  And  he  must  not  be  opposed  in  thus  rob- 
bing the  ancient  citizens  of  llieir  birthright,  because 
any  defeat  of  Mr.  Wilkes  would  gratify  the  King ! 

*'  Should  he,  after  consuming  the  whole  of  his  own 
fortune,  and  that  of  his  wife,  and  incurring  a  debt  of 
twenty  thousand   pounds,   merely  by  his   own  private 
extravagance,   without  a  single  service  or  exertion,  all 
this  time  for  the  pubhc,  whilst  his   estate  remained  j 
should  he,  at  length,   being  undone,  commence   pa- 
triot ;  have  the  good  fortune  to  be  illegally  persecuted, 
and,  in   consideration  of  that  illegality,   be  espoused 
by  a  few   gentlemen  of  the  purest   public   principles  j 
should   his    debts,   though    none    of  them    were   con- 
tracted for  the  public,  and  all  his  other  incumbrances, 
be  discharged  ;  should  he  be  offered   600/.  or  1000/. 
a-year  to  make  him  independent  for  the  future  ;   and 
should    he,   after    all,   instead   of  gratitude   for   these 
services,  insolently  forbid   liis   benefactors   to   bestow 
their  own  money  upon   any  other  object  but   himself, 
and  revile  them  for  setting  any  bounds  to  their  sup- 
plies ;  Junius   (who,    any  more   than   Lord  Chatham, 
never  contributed   one  farthing  to  these  enormous  ex- 
pences)  will  tell  them,  that  if  they  think  of  converting 


JOHN   TIORNE   TOOKE.  213 

ihe  supplies  of  Mr.  Wilkes'  private  extravagance  to 
the  support -of  public  measures,  they  are  as  great  fools 
as  my  grandmother ;  and  that  Mr.  Wilkes  ought  to 
hold  the  strings  of  their  purses,  as  long  as  he  continues 
to  be  a  thorn  in  the  King's  side! 

"  Upon  these  principles  I  never  have  acted,  and  I 
never  will  act.  In  my  opinion,'  it  is  less  dishonorable 
to  be  the  creature  of  a  court,  than  the  tool  of  a  faction. 
I  will  not  be  either.  I  understand  the  two  great  lead- 
ers of  opposition  to  be  Lord  Rockingham  and  Lord 
Chatham ;  under  one  of  whose  banners  all  the  op- 
posing members  of  both  Houses,  who  desire  to  get 
places,  enlist.  I  can  place  no  confidence  in  either  of 
them,  or  in  any  others,  unless  they  will  now  engage, 
whilst  they  are  out,  to  grant  certain  essential  advant- 
ages for  the  security  of  the  public  when  they  shall  be 
in  administration.  These  points  they  refuse  to  stipu- 
late, because  they  are  fearful  lest  they  should  prevent 
any  future  overtures  from  the  court.  To  force  them 
to  these  stipulations  has  been  the  uniform  endeavour 
of  Mr.  Sawbridge,  Mr.  Townshend,  Mr.  Oliver,  &;c. 
and  therefore  they  are  abused  by  Junius.  I  know  no 
reason,  but  my  zeal  and  industry  in  the  same  cause, 
that  should  entitle  me  to  the  honor  of  bcini;  ranked 


214  MEMOIRS    OF 

by  his  abuse  with  persons  of  their  fortune  and  station. 
It  is  a  duty  1  owe  to  the  memory  of  ^e  late  Mr. 
Beckford,  to  say,  that  he  had  no  other  aim  than  this, 
when  he  provided  that  sumptuous  entertainment  at  the 
Mansion  House,  for  the  members  of  both  Houses  in 
opposition.  At  that  time,  he  drew  up  the  heads  of 
an  engagement,  which  he  gave  to  me,  with  a  request 
that  1  would  couch  it  in  terms  so  cautious  and  precise, 
as  to  leave  no  room  Jor  future  quibble  and  evasion ; 
but  to  oblige  them  either  to  fulfil  the  intent  of  the 
obligation,  or  to  sign  their  own  infamy,  and  leave  it 
on  record ;  and  this  engagement  he  was  determined 
to  propose  to  them  at  the  Mansion  House,  that  either 
by  their  refusal  they  might  forfeit  the  confidence  of  the 
public,  or.  by  the  engagement,  lay  a  foundation  for 
confidence. 

"  When  they  were  informed  of  the  intention,  Lord 
Rockingham  and  his  friends  flatly  refused  any  engage- 
ment ;  and  Mr.  Beckford  as  flatly  swore,  they  should 
then  *  eat  none  of  his  broth ;'  and  he  was  determined 
to  put  off  the  entertainment ;  but  Mr.  Beckford  was 
prevailed  upon  by to  indulge  them  in  the  ridi- 
culous parade  of  a  popular  procession  through  the 
rity,   and   to   give   them   the  foolish   pleasure    of  an 


is- 
JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  215 

imaginary  consequence,  for  the  real  benefit  only  of 
the  cooks  and  purveyors. 

"  It  was  the  same  motive  which  dictated  the  thanks 
of  the  city  to  Lord  Chatham  ;  which  were  expressed 
to  be  given  for  his  declaration  in  favor  of  short  par- 
liaments, in  order  thereby  to  fix  Lord  Chatham,  at 
least,  to  that  one  constitutional  remedy,  without  which 
all  others  can  afford  no  security.  The  embarrassment, 
no  doubt,  was  cruel.  He  had  his  choice,  either  to 
offend  the  Rockingham  party,  who  declared  formally 
against  short  parliaments,  and  with  the  assistance  of 
whose  numbers  in  both  Houses  he  must  expect  again 
to  be  minister,  or  to  give  up  the  confidence  of  the 
public,  from  whom,  finally,  all  real  consequence  must 
proceed.  Lord  Chatham  chose  the  latter ;  and  I  will 
venture  to  say,  that,  by  his  answer  to  those  thanks,  he 
has  given  up  the  people  without  gaining  the  friend- 
ship or  cordial  assistance  of  the  Rockingham  faction, 
whose  little  politics  are  confined  to  the  making  of 
matches,  and  extending  their  family  connections ;  and 
who  think  they  gain  more  by  procuring  one  additional 
vote  to  their  party  in  the  House  of  Commons,  than  by 
adding  their  languid  property,  and  feeble  character, 
to  the  abilities  of  a  Chatham,  or  the  confidence  of 
tTie  public. 


216  MEMOIRS  OF 

<'  Whatever  may  be  the  event  of  the  present  wretch- 
ed state  of  politics  in  this  country,  the  principles  of 
Junius  will  suit  no  form  of  government.     They  are 
not  to  be  tolerated  under  any  constitution.     Personal 
enmity  is  a  motive  fit  only  for  the  devil.     Whoever, 
or  whatever,   is  sovereign,  demands  the   res])ect   and 
support  of  the  people.     The  union  is  formed  for  their 
happiness,  which   cannot  be  had  without  mutual   re- 
spect;  and  he  counsels   maliciously  who  would   per- 
suade either  to  a  wanton  breach  of  it.     When  it  is 
banished  by  either  party,  and  when  every  method  has 
been  tried  in  vain  to  restore  it,  there  is  no  remedy  but 
a  divorce  ;    but  even  then  he   must  have  a  hard  and 
wicked  heart  indeed,  who  punishes  the  greatest  crimi- 
nal merely  for  the  sake  of  the  punishment ;  and  who 
does  not  let  fall  a  tear  for  every  drop  of  blood  that  is 
shed  in  a  public  struggle,  however  just  the  quarrel. 

"  John  Horne." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

TO   THE   PRINTER   OF   THE    PUBLIC   ADVERTISER. 

August  15,  L771. 
**Sir — I  OUGHT  to  make  an  apology  to  the  Duke  of 
Crafton,  for  suffering  any  part  of  my  attention  to  be 
diverted  from  his  Grace  to  Mr.  HoRNE.  I  am  not 
Justified  by  the  similarity  of  their  dispositions.  Private 
vices,  however  detestable,  have  not  dignity  sufficient 
to  attract  the  censure  of  the  press,  unless  they  are 
united  with  the  power  of  doing  some  signal  mischief 
to  the  community.  Mr.  Horne's  situation  does  not 
correspond  with  his  intentions.  In  my  opinion  (which 
I  know  will  be  attributed  to  my  usual  vanity  and  pre- 
sumption) his  letter  to  me  does  not  deserve  an  answer. 
But  1  understand,  that  the  public  are  not  satisfied 
with  my  silence  :  that  an  answer  is  expected  from 
me ;  and  that  if  I  persist  in  refusing  to  plead,  it  will 
be   taken  for  .conviction.      I   should   be  inconsistent 

2B 


218  MEMOIRS   OF 

with  the  principles  I  profess,  if  I  declined  an  appeal 
to  the  good  sense  of  the  people,  or  did  not  willingly 
submit  myself  to  the  judgment  of  my  peers. 

"  If  any  coarse  expressions  have  escaped  me,  I  am 
ready  to  agree,  that  they  are  unfit  for  Junius  to  make 
use  of;  but  I  see  no  reason  to  admit,  that  they  have 
been  improperly  applied. 

"  Mr.  HoRNE,  it  seems,  is  unable  to  comprehend  how 
an  extreme  want  of  conduct  and  discretion,  can  consist 
with  the  abilities  I  have  allowed  him  ;  nor  can  he 
conceive  that  a  very  honest  man,  with  a  very  good 
understanding,  may  be  deceived  by  a  knave.  His 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  must  be  limited  indeed. 
Had  he  never  mixed  with  the  world,  one  would  think 
that  even  his  books  might  have  taught  him  better. 
Did  he  hear  Lord  Mansfield,  when  he  defended  his 
doctrine  concerning  libels?  Or  when  he  stated  the 
law  in  prosecutions  for  criminal  conversation  ?  Or 
when  he  delivered  his  reasons  for  calling  the  House  of 
Lords  together,  to  receive  a  copy  of  his  charge  to  the 
jury  in  Woodfall's  trial  ?  Had  he  been  present  upon 
any  of  these  occasions,  he  would  have  seen  how  pos- 
sible it  is  for  a  man  of  the  first  talents  to  confound 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  219 

himself  in  absurdities,  which  would  disgrace  the  lips 
of  an  idiot.  Perhaps  the  example  might  have  taught 
him  not  to  value  his  own  understanding  so  highly. 
Lord  Lyttleton's  integrity  and  judgment  are  unques- 
tionable ;  yet  he  is  known  to  admire  that  cunning 
Scotchman,  and  verily  believes  him  an  honest  man. 
1  speak  to  facts,  with  which  all  of  us  are  conversant. 
I  speak  to  men,  and  to  their  experience ;  and  will  not 
descend  to  answer  the  little  sneering  sophistries  of  a 
collegian.  Distinguished  talents  are  not  necessarily 
connected  with  discretion.  If  there  be  any  thing  re- 
markable in  the  character  of  Mr.  Horne,  it  is,  that 
extreme  want  of  judgment  should  be  united  with  his 
moderate  capacity.  Yet  I  have  not  forgotten  the 
acknowledgment  I  made  him ;  he  owes  it  to  my 
bounty ;  and  th(^ugh  his  letter  has  lowered  him  in  my 
opinion,  I  scorn  to  retract  the  charitable  donation. 

"  I  said  it  would  be  very  difficult  for  Mr.  HoRNE  to 
write  directly  in  defence  of  a  ministerial  measure,  and 
not  be  detected,  and  even  that  difficulty  I  confined  to 
his  particular  situation.  He  changes  the  terms  of  the 
proposition,  and  supposes  me  to  assert,  that  it  would 
be  impossible  for  any  man  to  write  for  the  newspapers, 
and  not  be  discovered. 


220  JUEMOIRS    OF 

"He  repeatedly  affirms,  or  intimates  at  least,  that 
he  knows  the  author  ol  these  letters.  With  what  co- 
lor of  truth,  then  can  he  pretend,  That  1  am  no  where 
to  be  encountered^  but  in  a  newspaper  ?  1  shall  leave 
him  to  his  suspicions.  It  is  not  necessary,  that  I 
should  confide  in  the  honor  or  discretion  of  a  man, 
who  already  seems  to  hate  me  with  as  much  rancour, 
as  if  I  had  formerly  been  his  friend.  But  he  asserts, 
that  he  has  traced  me  through  a  variety  of  signatures. 
To  make  the  discovery  of  any  importance  to  his  pur- 
pose, he  should  have  proved,  either  that  the  fictititous 
character  of  Junius  has  not  been  consistently  support- 
ed, or  that  the  author  has  maintained  different  prin- 
ciples under  different  signatures.  I  cannot  recall  to 
my  memory  the  numberless  trifles  I  have  written  ;  but 
I  rely  upon  the  consciousness  of  my  ^wn  integrity,  and 
defy  him  to  fix  any  colorable  charge  of  inconsistency 
upon  me. 

'<I  am  not  bound  to  assign  the  secret  motives  of  his 
apparent  hatred  of  Mr.  Wilkes:  nor  does  it  follow 
that  I  may  not  judge  fairly  of  his  conduct,  though  it 
were  true,  that  1  had  no  conduct  of  my  own.  Mr. 
HORNE  enlarges  with  rapture  upon  the  importance  of 
his  services ;  the  dreadful  battles  which  he  might  have 


JOHN   IIORNE   TOOKE.  221 

been  engaged  in,  and  the  dangers  he  has  escaped.  In 
support  of  the  formidable  description,  he  quotes  verses 
without  mercy.  The  gentleman  deals  in  fiction,  and 
naturally  appeals  to  the  evidence  of  the  poets. — 
Taking  him  at  his  word  he  cannot  but  admit  the 
superiority  of  Mr.  Wilkes  in  this  line  of  service.  On 
one  side,  we  see  nothing  but  imaginary  distresses ; 
on  the  other,  we  see  real  prosecutions ;  real  penalties ; 
real  imprisonment ;  life  repeatedly  hazarded ;  and,  at 
one  moment,  almost  the  certainty  of  death.  Thanks 
are  undoubtedly  due  to  every  man  who  does  his  duty 
in  the  engagement,  but  it  is  the  wounded  soldier  who 
deserves  the  reward. 

"I  do  not  mean  to  deny  that  Mr.  Horne  had  been 
an  active  partizan.  It  would  defeat  my  own  purpose, 
not  to  allow  him  a  degree  of  merit,  which  aggravates 
his  guilt.  The  very  charge  of  contributing  his  utmost 
efforts  to  support  a  ministerial  measure,  implies  an 
acknowledgment  of  his  former  services.  If  he  had  not 
once  been  distinguished,  by  his  apparent  zeal  in  de- 
fence of  the  common  cause,  he  could  not  now  be  dis- 
guised by  deserting  it.  As  for  myself,  it  is  no  longer 
a  question,  whether  I  shall  mix  with  the  throng,  and 
take  a  single  share  in  the  danger.     Whenever  Junius 


233i  MEMOIRS   OF 

appears,  he  must  encounter  an  host  of  enemies.  But 
is  there  no  honorable  way  to  serve  the  public,  without 
engaging  in  personal  quarrels,  with  insignificant  indi- 
viduals, or  submitting  to  the  drudgery  of  canvassing 
votes  for  an  election  ?  Is  there  no  merit  in  dedicating 
my  life  to  the  information  of  my  fellow  subjects? 
What  public  question  have  I  declined  ?  What  villain 
have  1  spared  ?  Is  there  no  labour  in  the  composhion 
of  these  letters  ? — Mr.  HoRNF,  I  fear,  is  partial  to  me, 
and  measures  the  facility  of  my  writings  by  the  fluency 
of  his  own. 

"  He  talks  to  us  in  high  terms  of  the  gallant  feats  he 
would  have  performed  if  he  had  lived  in  the  last  cen- 
tury. The  unhappy  Charles  could  hardly  have  es- 
caped him.  But  living  Princes  have  a  claim  to  his 
attachment  and  respect.  Upon  these  term"  there  is 
no  danger  in  being  a  patriot.  If  he  means  any  thing 
more  than  a  pompous  rhapsody,  let  us  try  how  well 
his  argument  holds  together.  I  presume  he  is  not  yet 
so  much  a  courtier  as  to  affirm,  that  the  constitution 
has  not  been  grossly  and  daringly  violated  under  the 
present  reign.  He  will  not  say,  that  the  laws  have 
not  been  shamefully  broken  or  perverted;  that  the 
lights  of  the  subject  liave  not  been  invaded  ;  or,  that 


JOHN  HORNB   TOOKE.  ^3 

vedress  has  not  been  repeatedly  solicited  and  refused. 
Grievances,  like  these,  were  the  foundation  of  the  re- 
bellion in  the  last  century  ;  and,  if  I  understand  Mr. 
HoRNE,  they  would,  at  that  period,  have  justified  him, 
to  his  own  mind,  in  deliberately  attacking  the  hfe  of 
his  sovereign.  I  shall  not  ask  him  to  what  political 
constitution  this  doctrine  can  be  reconciled  :  but,  at 
least  it  is  incumbent  upon  him  to  show,  that  the  pre- 
sent King  has  better  excuses  than  Charles  the  First, 
for  the  errors  of  his  government.  He  ought  to  de- 
monstrate to  us,  that  the  constitution  was  better  un- 
derstood an  hundred  years  ago,  than  it  is  at  present ; 
that  the  legal  rights  of  the  subject,  and  the  limits  of 
the  prerogative,  were  more  accurately  defined,  and 
more  clearly  comprehended.  If  propositions,  like 
these,  cannot  be  fairly  maintained,  I  do  not  see  how 
he  can  reconcile  it  to  his  conscience,  not  to  act  im- 
mediately with  the  same  freedom  with  which  he 
speaks.  I  reverence  the  character  of  Charles  the 
First  as  little  as  Mr.  Horne  ;  but  1  will  not  insult 
his  misfortunes,  by  a  comparison,  that  would  degrade 
him. 

"  It  is  worth  observing,  by  what  gentle  degrees  the 
furious,  persecuting  zeal  of  Mr.  Horne  has  softened 


224  B1E3IOIRS   OF 

into  moderation.  Men  and  measures  were  yesterday 
his  object.  What  pains  did  he  once  take  to  bring  that 
great  state  criminal  M' Quirk,  to  execution  ?  To-day 
he  confines  himself  to  measures  only :  no  penal  exam- 
ple is  to  be  left  to  the  successors  of  the  Duke  of  Graf- 
ton. To-morrow,  I  presume,  both  men  and  measures 
will  be  forgiven.  The  flaming  patriot,  who  so  lately 
scorched  us  in  the  maridian,  shines  temperately  to  the 
west,  and  is  hardly  felt  as  he  descends. 

"  I  comprehend  the  policy  of  endeavouring  to  comr 
municate  to  Mr.  Oliver  and  Mr.  Sawbridge,  a  share 
in  the  reproaches  with  which  he  supposes  me  to  have 
loaded  him.  My  memory  fails  me,  if  1  have  mentioned 
their  names  with  disrespect  ;  unless  it  be  reproachful 
to  acknowledge  a  sincere  respect  for  the  character  of 
Mr.  Sawbridge,  and  not  to  have  questioned  the  inno- 
cence of  Mr.  Oliver's  intentions. 

"  It  seems  I  am  a  partizan  of  the  great  leader  of 
the  opposition.  If  the  charge  had  been  a  reproach, 
it  should  have  been  better  supported.  I  did  not  in- 
tend to  make  a  public  declaration  of  the  respect  1 
bear  Lord  Chatham  ;  I  well  knew  that  unworthy  con- 
clusions would  be  drawn  from  it.     But  1  am  called 


JOHN   HORNE  TOOKE.  225 

npon  to  deliver  my  opinion ;  and  surely  it  is  not  in  the 
little  censure  of  Mr.  Horne  to  deter  me  from  doing 
signal  justice  to  a  man,  who,  I  confess,  has  grown 
upon  my  esteem.  As  for  the  common  sordid  views  of 
avarice,  or  any  purpose  of  vulgar  ambition,  I  question 
whether  the  applause  of  Junius  would  be  of  service  to 
Lord  Chatham.  My  vote  will  hardly  recommend  him 
to  an  increase  of  his  pension,  or  to  a  seat  in  the  cabi- 
net. But,  if  his  ambition  be  upon  a  level  with  his 
understanding,  if  he  judges  of  what  is  truly  honorable 
for  himself,  with  the  same  superior  genius  which  ani- 
mates and  directs  him  to  eloquence  in  debate,  to 
wisdom  in  decision,  even  the  pen  of  Junius  shall  con- 
tribute to  reward  him.  Recorded  honors  shall  gather 
round  his  monument,  and  thicken  over  him.  It  is  a 
t  solid  fabric,   and  will  support  the  laurels  that  adorn  it. 

I  am  not  conversant  in  the  language  of  panegyric. 
These  praises  are  extorted  from  me ;  but  they  will 
wear  well,  for  they  have  been  dearly  earned. 

"  M}'  detestation  of  the  Duke  of  Grafton  is  not 
founded  upon  his  treachery  to  any  individual ;  though 
I  am  willing  enough  to  suppose,  that,  in  public  affairs, 
it  would  be  impossible  to  desert  or  betray  Lord  Chat- 
ham, without  doing  an  essential  injury  to  this  country, 

29 


226  MEMOIRS    OF 

My  abhorrence  to  the  Duke  arises  from  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  his  character ;  and  from  a  thorough 
conviction  that  his  baseness  has  been  the  cause  of 
greater  mischief  to  England,  than  even  the  unfortu- 
nate ambition  of  Lord  Bute. 

«'  The  shortening  the  duration  of  Parliaments  is  a 
subject  on  which  Mr.  Horne  cannot  enlarge  too 
warmly,  nor  will  I  question  his  sincerity.  If  I  did  not 
profess  the  same  sentiments,  1  should  be  shamefully 
inconsistent  with  myself.  It  is  unnecessary  to  bind 
Lord  Chatham  by  the  written  formality  of  an  engage- 
ment. He  has  publicly  declared  himself  a  convert  to 
triennial  Parliaments ;  and  though  I  have  long  been 
convinced,  that  this  is  the  only  possible  resourse  we 
have  left  to  preserve  the  substantial  freedom  of  the 
constitution,  I  do  not  think  we  have  a  right  to  deter- 
mine against  the  integrity  of  Lord  Rockingham  or 
his  friends.  Other  measures  may  undoubtedly  be 
supported  in  argument,  as  better  adapted  to  the  dis- 
order, or  more  likely  to  be  obtained. 

♦'  Mr.  Horne  is  well  assured,  that  I  never  was  the 
champion  of  Mr.  Wilkes.  But  though  I  am  not 
obliged  to  answer  for  the  firmness  of  his  future  adher^^ 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  227 

ence  to  the  principles  he  professes,  I  have  no  reason 
to  presume,  that  he  will  hereafter  disgrace  them.  As 
for  all  those  imaginary  cases  which  Mr.  HoRNE  so 
petulantly  urges  against  me,  I  have  one  plain  honest 
answer  to  make  to  him.  Whenever  Mr.  Wilkes  shall 
be  convicted  of  soliciting  a  pension,  an  embassy,  or  a 
government,  he  must  depart  from  that  situation,  and 
renounce  that  character,  which  he  assumes  at  present, 
and  which,  in  my  o])inion,  entitles  him  to  the  support 
of  the  public.  By  the  same  act,  and  at  the  same 
moment,  he  will  forfeit  his  power  of  mortifying  the 
King ;  and  though  he  can  never  be  a  favorite  at  St. 
James',  his  baseness  may  administer  a  solid  satisfac- 
tion to  the  royal  mind.  The  man  I  speak  of,  has  not 
a  heart  to  feel  for  the  frailties  of  his  fellow-creatures. 
It  is  their  virtues  that  afflict,  it  is  their  vices  that  con- 
sole him. 

"  1  give  every  possible  advantage  to  Mr.  Horne, 
when  I  take  the  facts  he  refers  to  for  granted.  That 
they  are  the  produce  of  his  invention,  seems  highly 
probable ;  that  they  are  exaggerated,  I  have  no  doubt. 
At  the  worst,  what  do  they  amount  to  ?  but  that  Mr. 
Wilkes,  who  never  was  thought  of  as  a  perfect  pattern 
of  morality,  has  not  been  at  all  times  proof  against 


'228  MEMOIRS   OF 

the  extremity  of  distress.  How  shameful  is  it,  ill  a 
man  who  lias  lived  in  friendship  with  him,  to  reproach 
him  with  failings  too  naturally  connected  with  des- 
pair ?  Is  no  allowance  to  be  made  for  banishment 
and  ruin  ?  Does  a  two  years  imprisonment  make  no 
atonement  for  his  crimes  ?  The  resentment  of  a  priest  is 
implacable :  no  sufferings  can  soften,  no  penitence  can 
appease  him.  Yet  he  himself,  I  think,  upon  his  own 
system,  has  a  multitude  of  political  offences  to  atone 
for.  I  will  not  insist  upon  the  nauseous  detail  with 
which  he  has  so  long  disgusted  the  public:  he  seems 
to  be  ashamed  of  it.  But  what  excuse  will  he  make 
to  the  friends  of  the  constitution,  for  laboring  to  pro- 
mote this  consummately  bad  man  to  a  station  of  the 
highest  national  trust  and  importance  !  Upon  what 
honorable  motives  did  he  recommend  him  to  the  livery 
of  London  for  their  representative  ?  To  the  ward  of 
Farringdon  for  their  alderman  ?  To  the  county  of  Mid- 
dlesex for  their  knight  ?  Will  he  affirm,  that,  at  that 
time,  he  was  ignorant  of  Mr.  Wilkes'  solicitations  to 
the  ministry  ?  That  he  should  say  so,  is,  indeed,  very 
necessary  for  his  own  justification  ;  but  where  will  he 
find  credulity  to  believe  him  .'' 

«'  In  what  school  this  gentleman  learned  his  ethic5 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  229 

I  know  not.  His  logic  seems  to  have  been  studied 
under  Mr.  Dyson.  That  miserable  pamphleteer,  by- 
dividing  the  only  precedent  in  point,  and  taking  as 
much  of  it  as  suited  his  purpose,  had  reduced  his 
argument  upon  the  Middlesex  election  to  something 
like  the  shape  of  a  syllogism.  Mr.  HoRNE  has  con- 
ducted himself  with  the  same  ingenuity  and  candor. 
I  had  affirmed,  that  Mr.  Wilkes  would  preserve  the 
public  favor,  '  as  long  as  he  stood  forth  against  a 
ministry  and  parliament,  who  were  doing  every  thing 
they  could  to  enslave  the  country,  and  as  long  as  he 
was  a  thorn  in  the  King's  side.  Yet,  from  the  exult- 
ing triumph  of  Mr.  Horne's  reply,  one  would  think 
that  I  had  rested  my  expectation,  that  Mr.  Wilkes 
would  be  supported  by  the  public  upon  the  single 
condition  of  his  mortifying  the  King.  This  may  be 
logic  at  Cambridge,  or  at  the  treasury ;  but  among 
men  of  sense  and  honor,  it  is  folly  or  villany  in  the 
extreme. 

"I  see  the  pitiful  advantage  he  has  taken  of  a 
single  unguarded  expression,  in  a  letter  not  intended 
for  the  public.  Yet  it  is  only  the  expression  that  is 
unguarded.  I  adhere  to  the  true  meaning  of  tiiat 
member  of  the  sentence,  taken  separately  as  he  takes 


230  MEMOIRS    OP 

it  J  and  now,  upon  the  coolest  deliberation,  re-assert, 
that,  for  the  purposes  1  referred  to,  it  may  be  highly 
meritorious  to  the  public,  to  wound  the  personal  feel- 
ings of  the  sovereign.  It  is  not  a  general  proposition, 
nor  is  it  generally  applied  to  the  Chief  Magistrate  of 
this,  or  any  other  constitution.  Mr.  HoRNE  knows, 
as  well  as  I  do,  that  the  best  of  Princes  is  not  displeas- 
ed with  the  abuse  which  he  sees  thrown  upon  his  os- 
tensible ministers.  It  makes  them,  I  persume,  more 
properly  the  objects  of  his  royal  compassion.  Neither 
does  it  escape  his  sagacity,  that  the  lower  they  are 
degraded  in  the  public  esteem,  the  more  submissively 
they  must  depend  upon  his  favor  for  protection.  This 
I  affirm,  upon  the  most  solemn  conviction,  and  the 
most  certain  knowledge,  is  a  leading  maxim  in  the 
policy  of  the  closet.  It  is  unnecessary  to  pursue  Uie 
argument  any  farther. 

"  Ml*.  HoRNE  is  now  a  very  loyal  subject.  He 
laments  the  wretched  state  of  pohtics  in  this  country  ; 
and  sees,  in  a  new  light,  the  weakness  and  folly  of  the 
opposition.  Whoever^  or  whatever^  is  sovereign,  de- 
mands the  respect  and  support  of  the  people :  it  was 
not  so  when  Nero  fiddled  ivhile  Rome  was  burning. 
Our  gracious  sovereign  has  had  wonderful  success  in 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE.  231 

creating  new  attachments  to  his  person  and  family* 
He  owes  it,  I  presume,  to  the  regular  system  he  has 
pursued  in  the  mystery  of  conversion.  He  began 
with  an  experiment  upon  the  Scotch,  and  concludes 
with  converting  Mr.  HoRNE.  What  a  pity  it  is,  that 
the  Jews  should  be  condemned  by  Providence  to  wait 
for  a  Messiah  of  their  own. 

"  The  priesthood  are  accused  of  misinterpreting  the 
Scriptures.  Mr.  Horne  has  improved  upon  his  pro- 
fession. He  alters  the  text,  and  creates  a  refutable 
doctrine  of  his  own.  Such  artifices  cannot  long  de- 
lude the  understandings  of  the  people  ;  and,  without 
meaning  an  indecent  comparison,  I  may  venture  to 
foretel,  that  the  Bible  and  Junius  will  be  read,  when 
the  commentaries  of  the  Jesuits  are  forgotten. 

"  JUNIUS." 


TO   THE   PRINTER  OF   THE   PUBLIC   ADVERTISER. 

^M^Ms^  26,  1771. 
"  Sir— The   enemies  of  the  people,    having   now 
nothing  better  to  object  to  my  friend  Junius,  are  at  last 


232  MEMOIRS    OF 

obliged  to  quit  his  politics,  and  to  rail  at  him  for  crimes 
he  is  not  guilty  of.     His  vanity  and  impiety   are  now 
the  perpetual  topics  of  their  abuse.     I  do  not  mean  to 
lessen  the  force  of  such  charges,    supposing  they  were 
true,   but  to  show  that  they  are  not  founded.     If  1  ad- 
mitted  the  premises,  I  should  readily  agree  in  all  the 
consequences  drawn  frotn  them.     Vanity,   indeed,  is  a 
venal  error ;  for  it  usually  carries  its  own  punishment 
with  it ;  but  if  I  thought  Junius  capable  of  uttering  a 
disrespectful  word  of  the   religion   of  his   country,   I 
should  be  the  first  to  renounce  and  give  him  up  to  the 
public  contempt    and   indignation.     As  a  man,   I  am 
satisfied  that   he   is  a  christian,   upon  the  most  sincere 
conviction  r  as  a  writer,  he  would  be  grossly  inconsis- 
tent with  his  political  principles,  if  he  dared  to  attack 
a  religion,  established   by  those   laws,   which  it  seems 
to  be  the  purpose  of  his  lile  to  defend.     Now   for  the 
proofs.     Junius   is  accused  of  an  impious    allusion  to 
the   holy   sacrament,  where   he    says,    that,  if   Lord 
Weymouth  be  denied  the  cup,  there  would  be  no  keep- 
ing him  within  the  pale  of  the  Ministry.     Now,  Sir,  I 
affirm,  that  this  passage  refers  entirely  to  a  ceremonial 
in  the  Roman  Catholic   church,  which  denies  the  cup 
to  the    laity.     It   has  no   manner  of  relation  to  the 
Protestant  creed ;  and  is,   in  this  country,   as  fair  an 


JfOHN   IIORNK   TOOKE..  235 

object  of  ridicule   as  iransubstantiation,  or  any  other 
part  of  Lord  Peter's  History,   in  the  Tale  of  the  Tub. 

"  But  Junius  is  charged  with  equal  vanity  and  im- 
piety, in  comparing  his  writings  to  the  Holy  Scripture. 
The  formal  protest  he  makes  against  any  such  com- 
parison avails  him  nothing.  It  becomes  necessary 
then  to  show,  that  the  charge  destroys  itself.  If  he  be 
vain,  he  cannot  be  impious. 

*'  A  vain  man  does  not  usually  compare  himself 
to  an  object  which  it  is  his  design  to  undervalue. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  he  be  impious,  he  cannot  be  vain, 
for  his  impiety,  if  any,  must  consist  in  his  endeavour- 
ing to  degrade  the  Holy  Scriptures,  by  a  comparison 
with  his  own  contemptible  writings.  This  would  be 
folly,  indeed,  of  the  grossest  nature  :  but  where  lies 
the  vanity  ?  I  shall  now  be  told,  '  Sir,  what  you  say 
is  plausible  enough  :  but  still  you  must  allow,  that  it 
is  shamefully  impudent  in  Junius  to  tell  us  that  his 
works  will  live  as  long  as  the  Bible.'  My  answer  is, 
agreed  ;  hut  Jirst  prove  that  he  has  said  so.  Look  at 
his  words,  and  you  will  find  that  the  utmost  he  expects 
is,  that  the  Bible  and  Junius  will  survive  the  commea- 
taries  of  the  Jesuits ;  which  may  prove  true  in  a  forl;- 

,3© 


236  MEMOIRS  or 

night.  The  most  malignant  sagacity  cannot  show 
that  his  works  are,  in  his  opinion,  to  live  as  long  as 
the  Bible.  Suppose  1  were  to  foretell,  that  Jack  and 
Tom  would  survive  Harry,  does  it  follow  that  Jack 
must  live  as  long  as  Tom  ?  1  would  only  illustrate  my 
meaning,  and  protest  against  the  least  idea  of  pro- 
faneness. 

"  Yet  this  is  the  way  in  which  Junius  is  usually  an- 
swered, arraigned  and  convicted.  These  candid  critics 
never  remember  any  thing  he  says  in  honor  of  our 
holy  religion ;  though  it  is  true,  that  one  of  his  lead- 
ing arguments  is  made  to  rest  upon  the  internal  evi- 
dence, which  the  purest  of  all  religions  carries  with  it. 
I  quote  his  words  ;  and  conclude  from  them,  that  he 
is  a  true  and  hearty  Christian,  in  substance,  not  in 
ceremony  ;  though  possibly  he  may  not  agree  with  my 
Reverend  Lords  the  Bishops,  or  with  the  head  of  the 
Church,  that  prayers  are  morality ^  or  that  kneeling  is 
religion. 

"Philo  JuNiue." 


^ 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FROM   THE   REVEREND   MR.    HORNE   TO  JUNIUS. 

August  17,  1771. 
"  I  CONGRATULATE  you,  Sir,  Oil  the  recovery  of 
your  wonted  style,  though  it  has  cost  you  a  fortnight. 
I  compassionate  j'our  labor  in  the  composition  of  your 
letters,  and  will  communicate  to  you  the  secret  of  my 
fluency.  Truth  needs  no  ornament ;  and,  in  my  opi- 
nion, what  she  borrows  of  the  pencil  is  deformity. 

"  You  brought  a  positive  charge  against  me  of  cor- 
ruption. I  denied  the  charge,  and  called  for  your 
proofs.  You  replied  with  abuse,  and  re-asserted  your 
charge.  1  called  again  for  proofs.  You  reply  again 
with  abuse  only,  and  drop  your  accusation.  In  your 
fortnight's  letter,  there  is  not  one  word  upon  the  sub- 
ject of  my  corruption. 


236  MEMOIRS   OF 

"  I  have  no  more  to  say,  but  to  return  thanks  to 
you  for  your  condescension,  and  to  a  grateful  public, 
and  honest  ministry,  for  all  the  favors  they  have  con- 
ferred upon  me.  The  two  latter,  I  am  sure,  will  never 
refuse  me  any  grace  I  shall  solicit :  and  since  you  have 
been  pleased  to  acknowledge,  that  you  told  a  deliber- 
ate lie  in  my  favor,  out  of  bounty,  and  as  a  charitable 
donation,  why  may  I  not  expect  that  you  will  here- 
after (if  you  do  not  forget  you  ever  mentioned  my 
name  with  disrespect)  make  the  same  acknowledge- 
ment for  what  you  have  said  to  my  prejudice  ?  The 
second  recantation  will,  perhaps,  be  more  abhorrent 
from  your  disposition ;  but  should  you  decline  it,  you 
will  only  afford  one  more  instance,  how  much  easier  it 
is  to  be  generous  than  just,  and  that  men  are  some- 
times bountiful  who  are  not  honest. 

"  At  all  events,  I  am  as  well  satisfied  witii  panegyric 
as  Lord  Chatham  can  be.  Monument  I  shall  have 
none ;  but  over  my  grave  it  will  be  said,  in  your  own 
words,  '  Horne's  situation  did  not  correspond  with 
his  intentions,^ 

''  John  Horne." 


JOHN   HORNE   TOOKE-  237 

WHOEVER,  carefully  and  impartially,  peruses 
the  foregoing  correspondence,  and  the  facts  contained 
in  this  work,  must  acknowledge,  that  the  Rev.  John 
HoRNE,  in  his  Farce,  Comedy  and  Tragedy,  performed 
the  Dramatis  Persona,  of  Junius,  Philo  Junius,  and 
John  Horne,  and  having  placed  the  last  Tcey  stone  of 
the  arch,  walked  off  the  stage,  the  HERO  of  his  own 
DRAMA,  leaving  a  fame  in  the  republic  of  letters,  that 
can  never  die. 

I  shall  now  close  this  essay,  by  quoting  the  follow- 
ing extract  from  Mr.  Burke's  speech,  which  has  been 
furnished  me,  by  my  honorable  and  respected  friend, 
R.  RiKER,  Recorder  of  the  City  of  New-York  ;  that 
gentleman  having  obtained  it  from  a  manuscript  pre- 
served by  the  late  Dr.  Johnson,  President  of  Colum- 
bia College,  &c.  ;  who,  it  is  believed,  heard  Mr. 
Burke  deliver  it  in  the  House  of  Commons. 

"It  has  been  confidently  reported,  that  I  am  the 
author,  who  has  written  against  government,  under 
the  signature  of  'Junius ;^  I  have  been  charged  with 
it,  in  this  public  assembly,  and  in  private  company  ; 
I  have  borne  the  imputation  in  my  hours  of  business, 


238  MEMOIRS   OF 

and  it  has  attended  me  in  the  moments  of  reth'ement 
and  leisure.  Was  I  conscious,  that  I  merited  the  im- 
putation, my  vanity  would  not  permit  me  to  disown 
it.  Could  I  do  it  with  truth,  my  passion  for  glory 
would  induce  me  to  boast  of  being  the  author  of  a 
production,  so  justly  celebrated  for  its  accuracy  of 
language,  its  subhmity  of  sentiment,  its  poignancy  of 
satire,  and  its  exquisite  elegance  of  expression.  '  Junius^ 
has  travelled  a  road,  that  has  hitherto  been  but  little 
trodden :  his  undertaking  was  bold,  was  arduous  ;  but 
aided  by  the  superiority  of  his  genius,  he  has  soared 
superior  to  the  difficulties  of  the  attempt.  He  has 
watched  the  motions  of  your  nobles  and  your  leaders, 
unsuspecting  of  danger.  Like  ^neas  under  the 
close  covert  of  the  rock,  singling  out  the  choicest  of 
the  herd  feeding  before  him.  So  Junius,  under  the 
impenetrable  veil  of  secrecy,  has  watched  the  motions 
of  your  nobles  and  your  leaders,  rioting  in  luxury, 
unsuspicious  of  detection,  and  unguarded  to  danger, 
he  levelled  his  arrows,  feathered  with  truth,  and 
pointed  with  the  keenest  edge  of  satire,  and  they 
have  fallen  prostrate  at  his  feet.  Nay  !  he  has  aimed 
a  shaft  at  the  Bird  of  Jove  himself,  hovering  in  his 
aerial  wanderings — it  smote  him — his  pinions  trembled, 
and  he  seemed  to  fall." 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
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Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


i*i  vbi.'-^:?  u  »^ 


9NoV49B2 


Decl'SO,  i: 


6\l^ 


"'^>0', 


i^p^i^m^^ 


APR  4-  1966  C^ 


BEC  CIR.     MAY     4  1981 


MAR    /'6/--1^^ 

LOA^• 
MAY    3198) 


D  21-100to-9,'48(B399s16)476 


/ 


509645 


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